230582 American History II (S) (SoSe 2008)

This is the second part of a two-semester course sequence. Students should have already taken Part I . Part II is not obligatory for the North America profile module -- it may be replaced by another profile course in American Culture.

This course will begin with the end of the Civil War and the Reconstruction period. We will be concerned with such questions as: How well did the United States succeed in forming "a more perfect Union" after the war? How did the nation grow in size, influence and power? How did Americans develop in their understanding of civil rights and social justice and come to terms with the demands of living together in a modern multiracial and multicultural society? How has the United States managed its capitalist free enterprise economy and its position as world superpower? What were the crises of the twentieth century and how have they shaped the subsequent evolution of twenty-first century America?

Since we will be viewing a number of full-length films, students should be prepared to spend as much as 135 minutes in class during some weeks (14.00-16.15) and/or do viewing homework in the Mediothek. There will be a final examination. We will continue using Hugh Brogan, The Penguin History of the U.S.A. as an accompanying textbook, with student groups preparing review summaries of the relevant chapters.