Summer 2007

AMS s356 • Main Currents in American Culture Since 1865

Course Description

White Protestant males and their ideas dominated America up until the time of the Civil War. For better or worse, this progressively becomes less true after this time. Americans faced with what the philosopher William James called "a booming buzzing confusion" developed many new ways of coping with massive change. Set, eternal answers no longer seemed to suffice, and Americans were compelled to find new answers in a pluralistic society that had never existed before. In addition to such conventional historical topics as politics and economics, we will examine the fine arts, architecture, technology, science, social reform, literature, photography, documentary film, and literature. We will also note the roles and lives of immigrants, minority groups, and women in the conversation.

Texts

Horatio Alger Ragged Dick John Kasson Amusing the Million Edward Larson Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion Timothy Egan The Worst Hard Time Jay Stevens Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream Several out-of-class documentary films will also be required.

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