History of the American West

Catalog description

This course will examine the U.S. West, focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries. It will survey themes of conquest and colonialism, migration and immigration, economic development and environmental change, resistance and accommodation. Students will study U.S. relations with the Sioux, Comanches, and Mexicans. Students will explore the changing definition of the West and the frontier in popular culture. They will study the emergence of Hollywood and Disneyland. Students will also trace historically significant demographic shifts, ranging from miners rushing into the California Gold fields, to Cold-War refugees fleeing Southeast Asia, to contemporary migrations from Mexico.