HIST 21600 US History: America Through the History of Race

(GE-AmGovHis) The United States remains a nation of peoples from different races, ethnic groups and nationalities whose cultural backgrounds and American responses to them have shaped the nation’s history and culture.  This course will address such questions as: How have American values shaped these people—and how have they shaped the country’s values?  How have different people come to live and work together to craft our society as it stands today?  How has agency exercised by different groups affected their experiences?  The course will consider the historical development of racism and racial ideas and the interactions among Native Americans, African-Americans, Latino-Americans, and Asian-Americans.  Because of our own regional heritage, we will especially emphasize the experiences of African-Americans and Native Americans in the context of the larger history of the nation.   

We will explore and examine America’s diverse cultural heritage by providing context for historical discussions and then letting the original voices speak through primary source documents.  We will try to define identity and diversity historically and link the present to the historical roots and cultural contributions.  This will include examining St. Louis’ racial history.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENGL 15000 with a C or better or concurrent enrollment.

Offered

Spring semester.