America in the Gilded Age, 1877-1901

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. CONTENT. Examination of the Gilded Age, the period between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the dawn of the new century in 1900. Topics include, but are not limited to, the technological revolution; the age of industry; reactions to modernism; labor movements; politics in the 1870s and 1880s; the rise of Jim Crow; urbanization; immigration and nativism; new women; moral reformers; the Spanish-American War and its aftermath. Course content is selected to align with the course description and the current state of scholarship in the field. The presentation of course content fosters critical thinking in the context of scholarly consensus and debate, rather than instructors’ views, values or beliefs. Instructors may assign different readings and/or topics that fit within the course description and meet the learning objectives. BENEFITS. History teaches evaluation and synthesis of evidence, development of persuasive arguments in written and oral form, expansion of understandings of historical contexts that have contributed to human complexity past and present, including but not limited to the formation of group and individual identities, social and political dynamics, and debates about values and rights. Applying this knowledge produces more informed citizens, who are proficient in the abilities required by today’s workforce. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.