230622 Growing up in America - Children and Childhood in the United States (S) (WiSe 2016/2017)

As the first part of a two-part course on American childhood, and adopting a historical perspective, the aims of the course "Growing Up in America" are twofold:

first, the block seminar introduces the participants to the world of American children from the colonial era to the Civil War, delving into the ways adults reared, disciplined, cared for, educated, and fantasized about American children at various points in the history of the young nation.

Second, it examines the various ways that childhood was discussed, researched, and understood as a cultural artefact by American adults during this time period and the ways these discussions and definitions have been reflected in the history of American childhood.

Course materials, including ego documents, public commentary, picture books, juvenile periodicals, and prominent scholarly texts are selected to illustrate how various notions of childhood and “the child” have met throughout US history, turning them into battlefields for social, cultural, and political debates.