The History of American Protest

Catalog description

This interdisciplinary course examines the rich tradition of progressive protest literature in the United States from the American Revolution to the rise of globalization, Hip Hop, and modern-day slavery. Using a broad definition of "protest literature," we focus on the production and consumption of dissent as a site of social critique, using a wide variety of print, visual, and oral forms. We examine the historical links between forms of protest, social change, and meanings of literature; and we explore how various expressions of dissent function as political, ideological, rhetorical, aesthetic, and performative texts within specific cultural contexts. "Readings" range from novels and political pamphlets to photographs, music, sociology, and history. Restrictions/Requirements: Completion of 24 credits in the Gilder-Lehrman program.