American Cultural History II

Catalog description

What made America modern? Was it the cigarette smoking, fun-loving Flapper elbowing aside the respectable Victorian matron? Was it leaving the farm for the assembly line or office skyscraper? Was it putting the overstuffed furniture on the patio and redecorating with the latest streamlined look? Or was it leaving the parlor piano behind for the movie palace and the television set? We examine the transformation of American culture between the Civil War and the Vietnam War, examining the way in which American values, attitudes, and ideas changed as the shape of our society did. We look at issues ranging from the impact of war on American culture to coping with changing race, class, and gender relations, to the rise of mass and consumer cultures. USH