HIST2210 - 01 - Themes in the American West

(HI) Historical Inquiry (H) Historical Consciousness

By taking the idea of the many "Wests" and many Western experiences as a starting point, this course explores the history of the American West as both a region and an idea. Part cultural, intellectual and geographic history, the course will highlight a number of selected themes that defined the region from the Corps of Discovery (1803) to the present day. Although the antebellum period will receive some attention, the overarching focus is the Trans-Mississippi West after 1865.Course readings and class discussions will draw from the following topics as they relate to the West: myth and popular culture, boom and bust cycles, women's history, Hispanics and Chicanos, Native America, environmental history, Chinese history, the New Deal, and World War II and the nuclear age.