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American Indian History: Recasting the NarrativeIgnored for generations, American Indian history has recently become among the most dynamic fields of historical inquiry. As scholars now recognize, Indian peoples have fundamentally shaped and defined the modern world.
Historiography and Historical MethodsHistoriography is the study of the history and theory of historical writing.
The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.This course examines the lives and legacies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. These pillars of the Civil Rights Movement are often portrayed as opposites. While it is true that their rhetoric and methods differed, they are less dissimilar than the popular narrative of their lives allows.
The American EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment is often associated with Europe, but in this course we will explore how the specific conditions of eighteenth-century North America—slavery, the presence of large numbers of indigenous peoples, a colonial political context, and even local animals, rocks, and plants—also shaped t
Black Women's HistoryThis course focuses on African American women’s history in the United States with certain aspects of black women’s activism and leadership covered within the African Diaspora.
Lives of the EnslavedThis course is a study of enslaved people and the ways in which human beings coped with captivity. It is also a course that listens to their voices through audio files, diaries, letters, actions, and silences.
Conflict and Reform: The United States, 1877-1920This course is about the history of the United States during a period of great social change and conflict.
The History of American ProtestThis course examines the rich tradition of protest literature in the United States from the American Revolution to the present. The primary focus is on three enduring strands of protest: civil rights (beginning with antislavery); women’s rights; and workers’ rights.
The American WestThis course will trace the expansion of the United States to the Pacific, the exploration of the West, the defeat and dispossession of its Native peoples, and environmental transformations unmatched at few if any other places on earth.
The Life and Writings of Frederick DouglassThese twelve lectures, the readings, and the discussions are to probe the nature of the life, the work, and the thought of the nineteenth century abolitionist, orator, and author Frederick Douglass. We will examine in depth the public and private sides of Douglass’s life, his importance as a thi
The Vietnam WarThis course covers the long struggle for Vietnam, waged between 1940 and 1975, with particular attention to the period of direct American involvement.
World War IIThis course aims to put context and nuance into the traditional American views of the Second World War. Although keeping the American experience at the center, it will always view that experience through a global lens.
Race and Rights in AmericaThis course will explore the diverse political philosophies of influential black Americans as they sought to secure their dignity as human beings and rights as citizens.
Women in the American RevolutionThis course examines the many roles women played in the War for Independence, from the earliest protests and boycotts to the American victory at Yorktown.
Democracy in the Early RepublicExplore the evolving concept of democracy in the Early American Republic from the 1790s to the eve of the Civil War, when the possibilities of the revolution were first explored and tested. Through primary source documents and virtual field trips, participants will examine how changes in presiden
Famous Trials in American HistoryThis course examines twelve of the most famous trials of the past century, focusing on the legal significance, historical and political context, social implications, and media coverage surrounding each case.