| CODE | HST2035 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | U.S. History: 1492 to 1939 | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | History | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will introduce students to the history of the United States from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. The introductory lectures are structured chronologically and will cover political, social, economic and cultural aspects. Students will also be exposed to major historiographical interpretations regarding critical themes in the history of the United States, such as patriots and liberators in the history of the American war of Independence, the emergence of American intellectuals, slavery and the rise of feminism and the history of Jews and Italian migrants in America. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims to familiarize students with key political, social, economic and cultural developments in the United States from the sixteenth century to the outbreak of the Second War War in 1939. Students taking this study-unit will be exposed to key tools and analytical methods of historical inquiry. Weekly readings, oral presentations and writing assignments will encourage students to think critically about the past and its relationship to the present. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify key events regarding United States history from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries; - Describe critical themes and characteristics in the political, social, economic and cultural history of the United States during this period; - Differentiate among different historiographical approaches related to particular themes. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyze the impact of political, economic and social change and continuity over time; - Evaluate issues of causality and consequence; - Compose a research paper using historical documents and secondary literature; - Discuss ideas and concepts individually and in groups. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Maier, Pauline, et al. Inventing America. A History of the United States. Volume 1. Second Edition. W. W. Norton, 2006. - Maier, Pauline, et al. Inventing America. A History of the United States. Volume 2. Second Edition. W. W. Norton, 2006. - Nieder, Charles (ed.), The autobiography of Mark Twain, Haper Perennial Modern Classics, 2000. - Schama Simon, The Story of the Jews 1492-1900, Ecco Press, 2017 - Schama Simon, Landscape and Memory, Random House: New York, 1996. - Schama Simon, Patriots and Liberators, HarperCollins Publishers: London, 1998. - Schama Simon, Rough Crossings, Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution, Vintage: London, 2009 - Schama Simon, The American Future: A History, Ecco Press, 2014. - Schleifer, James T., The Chicago Companion to Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 2012. Supplementary Readings: - Fiege, Mark. The Republic of Nature. An Environmental History of the United States. University of Washington Press, 2013. - Nash, Gary, et al. The American People. Creating a Nation and a Society. Volume 1. Seventh Edition. Pearson, 2010. - Nash, Gary, et al. The American People. Creating a Nation and a Society. Volume 2.Seventh Edition. Pearson, 2010. - Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. Harper Perennial, 2005. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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