SSC475PO - O - ST: Mental Hlth & Amer Cult

Mental health has been the subject of intense medical scrutiny and public interest throughout American history, and how it was defined, conceptualized and debated over the last two and half centuries has influenced numerous public health crises as well as the trajectory of American political, medical and cultural history. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to historical inquiry, this course charts a chronological path through the history of mental health in American culture and addresses a broad range of topics, including the evolution of psychological knowledge and expertise, the rise and subsequent decline of insane asylums, notions of "normative" sexual behavior and the "epidemic" of homosexuality, the construction of ideal motherhood and the treatment of post-partum depression, the influence of Freudian psychology on American gender ideology, the health care system and end of life care, the globalization of American anxieties about psychology, and contemporary political debates about gun violence and mental health. By the end of the course, students will have: (A) a deeper understanding of the history of mental health in American culture; (B) a nuanced perspective on the interplay between psychological discourse, the mental health profession and American culture; (C) gained familiarity with the different research methodologies of historians of medicine, politics and culture; (D) the ability to analyze different types of sources; (E) further developed their analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills.