Doing History in the 1950's
This course satisfies the GER for the first-year writing seminar

This course examines how the writing of history changes over time.  The focal point is the Landmark Series of history books, published for young readers in the 1950s and 1960s by Random House of New York.  The series ultimately comprised 175 volumes on a wide variety of topics in American and world history.  Students will be comparing works written in the fifties and sixties to books written today, looking for patterns both of change and of continuity.  In addition, the course explores the zeitgeist of the United States as whole and of New York City in particular in order to make generalizations about what it meant (and means) to be an American and at the same time a citizen of the world.   Discussion topics will include the nature of history itself, the art of historical writing, the possibility of objective history, juvenile literature as a genre, and life in New York City in the 1950s. The course has two sections available and each section is limited to 12 students.

"These are the types of classes I firmly believe every student should take before graduating, mostly because it helps you understand how the other 99% of the world lives. You'll learn about some of the pressing social issues facing the world today and how to make a difference combating inequality and injustice on a local and international scale."
            -Rachel Whitten '07