American Culture and Society

This course surveys the history of the United States with a focus on the development of citizenship and civil rights in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Coursework will be divided into four units. In each unit, students will explore a different historical period, culminating in a case study of a major event (including the forced relocation of the Cherokee nation, the abolition of American slavery, and the modern civil rights movement). Throughout the year, we will consider the philosophical and ethical dimensions of historical inquiry. This course fulfills the U.S. history graduation requirement.