This course will examine the upheaval of the Civil War as a manifestation of deep structural changes in the economy and society of the United States. Analysis of structural change will be accompanied by consideration of the ways in which such changes were manifested in social and gender relations, cultural beliefs and politics. Finally, we will try to determine how the war itself shaped culture and society in its aftermath. Students will make class presentations, submit a bibliographic or research essay, and take a final examination. In at least one topic area there will be substantial attention to primary sources.
Assignments emphasize careful reading and analysis, and short written exercises.
The purpose of this seminar is to explore influential trends and theoretically significant debates and innovations in modern historiography through the reading of representative texts. It investigates the rise of professional historiography, as well as reflections of historians on the nature and identity of their craft, its methodological and theoretical problems and possibilities. It analyzes history's links with other social science disciplines and considers the challenges which history shares with those disciplines. This course will consider the political, social, cultural, and economic issues of the period within a context of ethno-culture, race, gender, and class. Student participation is essential in class discussion, and students are responsible for several papers of reasonable length.