College Seminar (101-7-30)

Topic

The American Revolution at 250

Instructors

Caitlin Fitz
847/467-2906
Harris Hall - Room 205

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L05: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

The American Revolution: a war waged by high-minded gentlemen in wigs. Or was it? This course explores the conflict in all its messy (and surprisingly manure-smeared) reality, particularly its fraught relationship to democracy, settler colonialism, human bondage, and human freedom. Especially because this class convenes on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we will also consider the Revolution as a touchstone in modern-day culture wars, from Supreme Court originalism to the 1619 Project to the Hamilton musical.

Registration Requirements

First-Years Only

Learning Objectives

Learn to analyze primary sources; engage in reasoned and respectful discussion and construct thoughtful, evidence-based arguments from course readings and lectures; Gain a foundational understanding of the United States's revolutionary past, and explore how generations of Americans have remembered it; Consider why popular memory of the Revolution has been a fraught topic for over two centuries.

Class Notes

History Major Concentration(s): Americas
History Minor Concentration(s): United States

Class Attributes

WCAS College Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Only History majors and minors can currently enroll in this class. Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required