Readings in American History: Gender & Race in the American Experience

This course will explore a variety of ways that gender and race have shaped the lives of Americans living in the 19th and 20th centuries. We will also examine how Americans from all walks of life have used gender and racial distinctions to manipulate their identity, improve their circumstances, resist oppression, and gain leverage over others. Readings will address the negotiation of gender and racial boundaries from the antebellum period, through the great migration and immigration waves at the turn of the 20th century, during military conflicts, and up through the Civil Rights movement. 3 hrs. sem.