American Revolutions: Reacting to the Past

In this course we will be examining three moments of intellectual and cultural conflict in the United States, which will likely include 1) The Revolution in NYC, 1775-76, 2) Greenwich Village, 1913 (Suffrage, Labor and the New Woman) and, 3) Chicago, 1968. We will dive deep into these revolutionary moments via Reacting to the Past games, in which you will present the perspectives of historical characters—sometimes with values quite different than your own--in lively debate. These games do not have a fixed script: you’ll find yourself researching historic documents, collaborating, making public speeches, plotting—and in the end, perhaps even rewriting history.