Course Description

This course is a survey of some of the main themes and events of American history since 1877. We will cover many topics, focusing on the themes of race, class, and empire. We will explore the changes in society, conflicts, and implications of historical events throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will seek to understand individual events and people during their time by contextualizing, comparing, and contrasting them. We will engage history through several different mediums including primary sources created by people in the past, secondary sources written by today’s leading scholars, and even popular culture. Though we will cover as much information as we can, no class can be entirely inclusive, so we will also work on developing skills related to the craft of history, many of which will serve you well in any career path, particularly organizing and judging competing viewpoints as well as using information to make a persuasive argument.

Required Texts

Books
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi

Films
Newsies (1992)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Wall Street (1987)

A textbook and other short readings will supplement these main texts.