First-Year Seminar: American Politics and Literature.

Catalog description

This course examines how early American literature engages the tensions and aspirations of the American political tradition. Beginning with the Declaration of Independence, students will read short stories, poems, and novels that reflect, contest, and reinterpret the meaning of equality, liberty, citizenship, and national identity in the early republic. Through a multidisciplinary study of literary and political texts, the course considers how imaginative writing can deepen understanding of the moral and political questions that shape a pluralistic democracy. Students will develop their ability to analyze foundational American ideas, assess their significance for human flourishing, and participate thoughtfully in civic life.