HIST 304 - Special Topics in US History

SECTION 1 - THE TITLE OF THIS SEMINAR FOR SPRING 2023 IS: Methods and Practice of Oral History.  Oral histories are a fascinating and important - yet often controversial - source for creating, examining and interpreting history.  In this seminar, students will gain hands-on experience with all aspects of oral history.  You will learn the theories and practices of oral history.  You will explore a wide range of oral history collections, both textual and audio/visual, in order to gain an appreciation for the opportunities and limitations of utilizing oral histories as sources for research projects.  And finally, you will construct individual research projects based upon existing oral histories, as well as conduct new oral history interviews that will contribute to a comprehensive, ongoing, formal oral history project.

SECTION 2 - THE TITLE OF THIS SEMINAR FOR SPRING 2023 IS: Women’s Bodies, Women’s Rights.  We often speak of rights in broad and abstract terms - freedom, privacy, equality. Yet we experience rights concretely, even bodily. In this course, we will explore the varied ways rights (or their absence) have defined, constrained, protected, and empowered women’s bodies throughout U.S. history, from the colonial period to the recent past. By studying marriage, slavery, immigration, and paid employment as well as health and reproduction through the lens of women’s bodies, students will consider American women’s changing legal status and the shifting boundaries of their bodies.

 

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered periodically