239837 American History (S) (SoSe 2014)

This course will deal with American History in 3 parts. Part I will be concerned with key developments from the period of European exploration and colonization up through the American Revolution. Part II will examine the process of establishing an American republic, expansion across the continent, and the strains of regional and ideological discord that eventually culminated in the Civil War. Part III will take a thematic approach and attempt to bridge the late 19th and 20th centuries. The topics dealt with will include: 1) race, discrimination, and civil rights; 2) capitalism and its discontents 3) wars: hot and cold 4) women's rights, women's liberation, the 1960s and the aftermath of cultural upheaval.

The emphasis will be on how historical events have contributed to shaping the foundations of contemporary American culture and influenced public discourse up through the 21st century.

Requirements for participation, required level

It would be helpful to have already taken Social and Cultural Studies: USA before you take this course.

Bibliography

Multiple copies of THESE UNITED STATES: THE QUESTIONS OF OUR PAST by Irwin Unger are available in the library. This textbook will serve as a reference to provide background continuity to the narrative of historical development and to fill in the gaps that cannot be covered in class. Other materials will be distributed to participants. Classroom discussion will NOT merely summarize material in the textbook but will supplement it and provide further context and insights. This means that reading without classroom attendance or vice versa is not by itself sufficient to convey the core content of the course.