HIST 380DPost World War II US

Catalog

HIST 380D - Post World War II US This course will examine the history of the United States from the end of World War II to the present day. During this period, hailed by some as the ""American century,"" the United States became a global superpower. At the same time, repeated military interventions abroad, including a disastrous decades-long conflict in Vietnam and more recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, called into question the nature and purpose of American power. At the same time during this period, civil rights activists succeeded in making good on the promises of a free and equal society that had been enshrined in the U.S. Constitution almost a century before. Building on their success, a "movement of movements" for women's rights, gay rights, disability rights, and environmental protections followed. But these gains were undercut by other developments, such as the flight of industry to cheaper labor markets, disinvestment from public institutions, and the astronomic growth of the American prison system. In this course we will trace these changes, and ask: How can we make sense of these contradictions in the nation's recent past? What can they tell us about where the country might be headed?