The format will be a combination of lecture and discussion. The emphasis will be on cultural and intellectual trends, economic development, political evolution, and diplomatic maneuvering. Throughout we will endeavor to analyze the necessarily intimate interrelationships between each of these This course should provide you with a secure foundation in American politics and culture, preparing you for more advanced U.S. history courses. More generally, the course should function to introduce students to historical methods and historical ways of thinking. Class participation will constitute a small but significant portion of the final course grade.
Attendance is mandatory.
Students more than fifteen minutes late for class will be deemed absent. The instructor alone will make this determination. No make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences.