America Fractured

Catalog description

Many commentators have observed that the sense of national community in the United States has declined over the past several decades. In the eyes of some critics, as political debate has polarized and as wealth has concentrated, the nation's commitment to community responsibility, eroded by such forces as identity politics and market-based individualism, has shrunk to ever-smaller circles. This course will explore the so-called 'Age of Fracture' in recent U.S. history, paying close attention to debates among public thinkers on both the political right and the political left. The course uses this material to teach students the basics of academic writing. 001575