Through a combination of lectures, readings, visual art, documentary photography and film, this primarily lecture-based course examines the major political, economic, social and cultural trends that have made the United States the nation that it is today. The class also examines related dynamics in Atlanta and in Georgia more generally. The course focuses on the period since 1877 and especially examines:
1) the rise of a modern industrial economy and its transformation in recent decades;
2) the creation of modern American government as well as debates over its proper size and scope;
3) how inequality has riddled American society and how various groups have sought to redress this fact;
4) why the United States has gone to war since the late 19th century and how these conflicts have, in turn, shaped American life.
