TOPICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

概要

This course aims to introduce students to a variety of topics in the field of American history, mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will learn the ongoing issues of historical and social injustice, such as racial and gender discrimination, labor exploitation, war and military industry, and imprisonment in the United States. At the same time, students will learn how social minorities have addressed historical injustice through cultural and political practices. In this history course, students will be aware of power dynamics in narrating American history, learning whose stories are heard and whose voices are silenced in the past.

目標

This course has the following objectives: - To gain a wide range of knowledge on American history - To analyze and evaluate authors’ arguments and a variety of primary sources - To clearly communicate your ideas in both written and oral forms.

授業外の学習

(1) Weekly reading comments (100-150 words): Every week, students are required to read the assigned text and submit their comments before the class. In the comments, students should 1) concisely state the reading’s main arguments in your own words, 2) identify one concrete example from the reading and explain why/how you found it important, surprising, or particularly interesting, and 3) elaborate your additional thoughts or list any questions you have from the reading. (2) Discussion leading: each student takes at least one turn for leading the class discussion during the semester. Each week, discussion leaders work as a group and develop their reading comments into a short presentation. They should 1) explain the reading's arguments with concrete examples, 2) offer discussion questions, and 3) facilitate class discussions. (3) Final essay (500-600 words in English): as a final paper, students will write a short essay in response to a theme the instructor assigns during the semester. The essay will be evaluated based on 1) whether the student understands class contents, 2) whether the student communicates their ideas clearly, and 3) whether the student persuasively supports their ideas with deep analyses of concrete examples from class materials.

所要時間: 190 minutes per class