General Field Seminar in American History (410-3-20)

Instructors

Michael J. Allen
847/467-3979
Harris Hall - Room 342
Michael J. Allen researches US politics and culture in the 20th-century. Author of Until The Last Man Comes Home: POWs, MIAs, and the Unending Vietnam War (UNC Press, 2009), he is at work on a book titled A Perilous Course: Liberals Confront the Imperial Presidency, which explores the relationship between democratic reform and presidential power from Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. He is a Northwestern alumnus and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence.

Meeting Info

Harris Hall room 101: Wed 9:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

Combining classics and the best new work in the field, this seminar explores the evolution of historical scholarship on The United States Since 1900, samples its variety, and seeks to identify future research trajectories. Along the way, it teaches graduate students to read quickly but carefully, to identify and evaluate arguments, to recognize and appreciate methodological and interpretive differences, and to locate their own preferences and place in the field. In sum, the course provides the foundation for future research, success on field exams, and a professional career.

Registration Requirements

Graduate Students Only

Learning Objectives

1. To familiarize you with the history of the United States since 1900.
2. To introduce you to major developments and debates in the study of the U.S. since 1900.
3. To help you identify and evaluate historical arguments and their implications for researchers.
4. To help you develop the ability to put works of scholarship in conversation with one another.

Evaluation Method

Short weekly written engagement with the readings; verbal introductions to the readings once or twice a quarter; two short historiographical essays during the quarter; one final 10-12 page essay.

Class Materials (Required)

All the assigned readings will be uploaded on Canvas

Class Notes

Concentration: Americas