American History
American History
01:512:329 Technology and Nature in American History
- Academic Credits: 3
- SAS Core: WCR, WCD
- Mode of Instruction: Lecture
Syllabus: Fall 2023
Syllabus Disclaimer: The information on this draft syllabus is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your course site (Sakai, Canvas, etc.) on the first day of class.
Course Description
From colonial America to the twenty-first century, we will consider how the visual and material world of “nature” has been reshaped by industrial practices, ideologies, and institutions, with a particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will combine readings from environmental history and the history of technology to explore a variety of landscapes—from farms to suburbs, from Walden Pond to Yosemite National Park—to uncover not only the ways that technologies have shaped the landscapes around us, but also the ways that the natural world has resisted and redirected technological change.
01:512:332 American Economic Growth since 1860 (3)
- Academic Credits: 3
01:512:335 History on Film (3)
- Academic Credits: 3
01:512:347 War, Peace, and the Military of the United States to 1877
- Academic Credits: 3
- Mode of Instruction: Lecture
Syllabus: pdf Fall 2022 (91 KB)
Syllabus Disclaimer: The information on this syllabus is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your course site (Sakai, Canvas, etc.) on the first day of class.
Course Description
This is a survey of American attitudes toward, and developments in regard to, war, peace, and the military, from colonial times through the Civil War. Course themes include the military obligations of citizenship; the roots and persistence of American antimilitarism, including pacifism; the attempted nationalization of defense missions and institutions by the federal government; the beginnings of an American profession of arms; and the impact of technology.
01:512:348 War, Peace, and the Military of the United States since 1877
- Academic Credits: 3
- Mode of Instruction: Lecture
Syllabus: pdf Spring 2023 (100 KB)
Syllabus Disclaimer: The information on this syllabus is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your course site (Sakai, Canvas, etc.) on the first day of class.
Course Description
This is a survey of American attitudes and experiences concerning war, peace and the military from Reconstruction to the twenty-first century. The course explores changing modes of military organization through nationalization, professionalization, and technological developments. It also analyzes social and cultural attitudes towards war, peace, and the military, including anti-war, peace, and disarmament movements. Finally, the course examines civil-military relations and the influence of the military upon national policy.