The early decades of the 19th century witnessed fundamental structural changes in the economy, society and politics of the United States. This course will examine the consequences of this rapid growth. A study of American society from the end of World War II and the beginnings of the Cold War to the present. This course will attempt to weigh the impact America's coming of age as a great power has had upon U.S. society and upon the rest of the world. Intensive study of topics in pre-modern and modern social, political and cultural history.
Topics change from year to year.
Primary emphasis will be on the 19th and 20th centuries from independence to recent struggles for social, cultural, and economic self-determination and an analysis of the complex relationship between Central America and the United States. An historical survey of Latin America from independence to the present that will focus on a number of key countries within the region along with some attention given to Caribbean nations. The theme of this course is the historic struggle of Latin American peoples to overcome class and cultural divisions from within and to secure self-determination from external controls. Emphasis will also be given to the role that the United States has played in Latin America, especially since the late 19th century. An examination of the basic texts of the East Asian cultural tradition which define human nature, what it is to be moral, and a complex political philosophy.