The Past Speaks

In the next academic year, I will be teaching a class that surveys American history from 1776 to the present. The course code here at Coventry University is ISS 270.

While the module will be organised along broadly chronological lines, emphasis will be placed on addressing those general themes that have been important in the shaping of modern North America. The major themes of this module are: political change and institutions; key leaders; war and diplomacy; economic and social development. The primary focus of the module is the history of the United States. However, consideration will also be given to the histories of the other nations of North America: Canada, Québec, and Mexico.

The overarching theme or narrative of this module is the rise of the United States from a small confederation of agrarian republics into a coherent nation-state capable of projecting military, economic, and cultural power into all corners of the globe. All of the lectures and most of the seminar readings will be connected to this theme in some way or the other.

Intended Module Learning Outcomes

The intended learning outcomes are that on completion of this module the student should be able to:

1. Identify the events and ideas which have shaped the political, economic, and cultural history of the United States.

2. Explain the processes by which the United States went from a small agrarian republic to a global superpower.

3. Assess the nature of the political system and the ideas and issues which dominated American politics between 1776 and 2000.

4. Understand the relations between the United States and its two neighbouring countries, Canada and Mexico.

5. Understand the complex and multicultural nature of the American population.

Module Organisation and List of Lectures and Seminars

Your responsibilities each week will include completing the following readings before the seminar.  The seminars last just fifty minutes, but you can expect to spend up to 4 hours each week preparing for them. In a typical week, you will read the assigned pages in the textbook by David Reynolds and a primary source and you will listen to a podcast.

Please note that the page numbers refer to the paperback version of the textbook by Reynolds.

The podcasts have been taken from http://backstoryradio.org and http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historians/podcasts/index.php

In addition, you are expected to follow and read the Disunion Blog on the New York Times website. Ten minutes of each seminar will be set aside to discussing the posts of the previous seven days on Disunion. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/disunion/

Autumn Term

Winter Term

Key Textbook

Reynolds, D. America, Empire of Liberty: a New History. London, Penguin, 2010.ISBN: 9780141033679 0141033673. All students are encouraged to purchase this book. When ordering please verify the ISBN number to ensure that you are getting the paperback version of this book.