The social and cultural evolution of the first peoples of the Americas. Focus on such aspects as education, self-determination, health issues and urbanization as they impact native indigenous populations. Also offered as Fairhaven 218. An overview of African-American history from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Emphasis is on the struggle for social and political equality in a developing capitalist economy.
The contemporary social, economic and political life of African Americans also will be examined. The history of Asians in the United States, the development of communities and the effects of the encounter between Asian cultures and the developing American cultural context. The development of the lesbian, gay, bisexual community in the United States, with emphasis on identity formation, historical and sociological influences and the effects of encounters between gay cultures and the larger American cultural context. The interaction of immigrant and indigenous cultures with the developing American cultural patterns. Emphasis upon models and concepts of interaction, especially related to African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos.