American Cultural History: 19th C. (317-1-20)

Instructors

Susan Pearson
847/491-3744
Harris Hall - Room 338

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

This course examines major themes and shifts in American culture over the period 1820-1890. The course will consider: popular theatre, including blackface minstrelsy; urban entertainments and cultural authority; backwoods brawling; sentimental fiction and antebellum women's culture; the emergence of cultural categories for "high" and "low" art; and the emergence of mass culture in the industrial age. Students will be introduced not only to "more" history, but also to different methods of "doing" history.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will understand the development of a distinctive American popular culture, the role of African-Americans in the creation of American culture, and the interplay between popular and elite forms of culture in the United States.

Evaluation Method

Discussion, Papers, Final Exam

Class Notes

History Area of Concentration: Americas

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity