ENROLL

Elizabeth McKinsey

Through cultural manifestations--literature, painting, movies, radio, historic preservation, and music--we will trace progress from shock and despair to hope in the ‘30s and see how Americans of all races and classes coped with the disruptions and opportunities of economic cataclysm, political shifts, new social programs and expectations, and technology. Materials will include texts on the New Deal, labor, the Great Migration and race relations; fiction, essays, and plays by Steinbeck, Nathaniel West, James Agee, Thornton Wilder, Meridel LeSueur, Hurston, and Wright; popular movies and music; and photography, painting, Art Deco, and the 1939 World’s Fair.

Mark Kanazawa

Prerequisite: Economics 111

Elizabeth McKinsey

An important preoccupation of nineteenth century America was the nature of democracy and the proper balance of individualism and the social good. An experiment in government, democracy also raised new questions about gender, class, and race. Citizenship was contested; roles in the new, expanding nation were fluid; abolition and emancipation, the movement for women's rights, industrialization all caused ferment and anxiety. The course will explore the way these issues were imagined in fiction by such writers as Cooper, Hawthorne, Maria Sedgwick, Stowe, Tourgee, Henry Adams, Twain, Gilman, and Chesnutt.

Tyran K Steward

This course will probe the domestic history of the U.S. from 1919 to 1939 and the cultural, economic, political, and social changes accompanying America’s evolution into a modern society. Themes include: developments in work, leisure, and consumption; impact of depression on the organization of the public and private sectors; persistence of traditional values such as individualism and the success ethos in shaping responses to change; and the evolving diversity of America and the American experience.

Annette Igra

George Vrtis

This course is the second half of a two-course sequence focused on the study of wilderness in American society and culture. The course will begin with a two-week off-campus study program during spring break at the Grand Canyon, where we will learn about the natural and human history of the Grand Canyon, examine contemporary issues facing the park, meet with officials from the National Park Service and other local experts, conduct research, and experience the park through hiking and camping. The course will culminate in the spring term with the completion and presentation of a major research project.

Prerequisite: History 306

Spring Break OCS Program Course. HIST 306 required for previous Winter Term registration.

Melinda Russell

How, specifically, is music instrumental in social change? What musical choices are made, and by whom? How are new musics made, and old musics repackaged, to help mobilize social movements and create collective identity? We'll approach these questions through the work of diverse scholars and participants, through focused listening, and ultimately through guided student research projects. Among the social/musical movements we'll consider: Nueva cancíon, Rastafari, anti-Apartheid; the labor, civil rights, women's, anti-war, anti-nuclear and environmental movements, the Black Arts Movement, American Indian, Jesus, Hippie, and white nationalist Movements, and Black Lives Matter. No musical experience or previous coursework required.  

Melanie Freeze

Christina Farhart

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories, hold on to misinformed beliefs even in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, and/or spread political and social rumors that may have little basis in fact? Who is most vulnerable to these various forms of misinformation? What are the normative and political consequences of misperceptions (if any)? This course explores the psychological, political, and philosophical approaches to the study of the causes, consequences, and tenacity of conspiracy beliefs, misinformation, and political rumors, as well as possible approaches that journalists could employ to combat misperceptions.

Christina Farhart

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories, hold on to misinformed beliefs even in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, and/or spread political and social rumors that may have little basis in fact? Who is most vulnerable to these various forms of misinformation? What are the normative and political consequences of misperceptions (if any)? This course explores the psychological, political, and philosophical approaches to the study of the causes, consequences, and tenacity of conspiracy beliefs, misinformation, and political rumors, as well as possible approaches that journalists could employ to combat misperceptions.

Held for Junior and seniors

Melanie Freeze

This course explores the political psychology of individual judgment and choice. We will examine the role of cognition, emotions, values, predispositions, and social identities on judgment and choice. From this approach, we will address the larger debate regarding the quality of democratic citizenship.

Greg Marfleet

Prerequisite: Political Science 122, AP American Government, or AP U.S. History is highly recommended

Charisse Burden-Stelly

This course examines the history of Black radical political thought in the United States between 1919 and 1969. It also explores internationalist and diasporic linkages that shaped, and were shaped by, the U.S. context. "Black Radicalism" refers to the forms of politics and thought that have challenged, nationally and globally, economic exploitation, social inequality, political marginalization, and private and state-sanctioned anti-blackness. The political ideologies and practices we will consider include: Black nationalism, pan-Africanism, socialism and communism, and Black feminisms. The course will also pay special attention to the socio-historical and political economic contexts that give rise to different forms of Black radicalism.

Christina Farhart

How do social and political groups interact? How do we understand these interactions in relation to power? This course will introduce the basic approaches and debates in the study of prejudice, racial attitudes, and intergroup relations. We will focus on three main questions. First, how do we understand and study prejudice and racism as they relate to U.S. politics? Second, how do group identities, stereotyping, and other factors help us understand the legitimation of discrimination, group hierarchy, and social domination? Third, what are the political and social challenges associated with reducing prejudice?