230582 American History I (S) (WiSe 2008/2009)

This is the first part of a two-semester course sequence. "American Histotry I" is a required course in PM5. We will trace the history of what is now the United States from the earliest known human inhabitants through the age of European exploration, settlement, colonization and eventual independence from Britain. We will then see how the "American experiment" developed through expansion and industrialization and how it came to meet its most severe test in the Civil War. We will focus on topics in American history that are relevant for understanding the present: the confrontation and interactions among Native Americans, Europeans and Africans; the attempt to realize republican and democratic ideals (here, not the present-day parties but the ideological concepts with lower case d and r); the role of religion; the growth of capitalism; the role of war; the rise of sectionalism. The underlying theme will be the formation of the United States: forces of union and disunion and the struggle for national self-understanding. There will be a midterm and final exam. Students will also collaborate in preparing outlines and review materials for the exam.

Notification about a class textbook will be posted here later.