The Americas IIa: New Frontiers

Uitgebreide vaknaam	The Americas IIa: New Frontiers
Leerdoelen	Aims of course: • To gain insight into the intricate political, economic, and cultural interdependencies between the U.S. and Latin America (and to a lesser extent Canada) during the first half of the nineteenth century. • To explore developments in the Americas through a variety of disciplinary lenses and a wide range of perspectives. • To foster an understanding of the tensions between civic and ethnic versions of American nationhood, and the impact of racialized and gendered thinking on forms of empire. • To train students’ ability to recognize values, biases, and hidden assumptions in shaping historical understanding. • To train students’ skills in analyzing and interpreting primary sources and foster an understanding of the cultural and socio-political work of literary and historiographical texts and cultural artefacts. • To deepen students’ understanding of some of the fundamental tools, methods, and approaches of American Studies as an interdisciplinary field of scholarship. • To improve fluency in spoken and written English.
Omschrijving	This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to cultural, historical, political, social, and economic developments in the Americas in the 19th century, with a specific focus on the position of the U.S within a hemispheric framework. Among the many topics we will address are the consolidation of the nation, the impact of Caribbean slave revolts on national identity construction, expansionism to the West and South, the American Borderlands, slavery, immigration, mobility, religious movements, industrialization, architecture, urbanization and changing gender roles.
Uren per week	4
Onderwijsvorm	hoorcollege, werkcollege
Toetsvorm	essay, schriftelijk tentamen
Vaksoort	propedeuse
Coördinator	M.L. Thompson
Docent(en)	M.L. Thompson
Verplichte literatuur	Titel Auteur ISBN Prijs Additional material will be provided. Building the American Republic (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2018), 2 volumes. PDF available for free here. Harry Watson and Jane Dailey
Entreevoorwaarden
Opmerkingen	80% Mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during seminars and to duly carry out all assignments. This module can be taken as an elective and/or Open Course Unit. Major students take precedence.
Opgenomen in	Opleiding Jaar Periode Type Course units for exchange students 1 semester II a intr Ba American Studies 1 semester II a verplicht Ba Open colleges Letteren - semester II a keuze