Lehrende/r: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Axel Schäfer
Veranstaltungsart: Übung
Anzeige im Stundenplan: 05.866.521
Semesterwochenstunden: 2
Credits: 4,0
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 45
Inhalt: From the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 to the official closing of the frontier in 1893, westward expansion was the theme in American history that set the stage for the major nineteenth-century dramas, such as the warfare against the Indians, the battle over slavery, the rise of democratic government, the exploitation of natural resources, and the emergence of modern capitalism. As a result, the West embodies the contradictions of the “American experience”: The myth of the yeoman paradise clashed with the reality of urban and industrial frontiers, the tales of proud pioneer deeds conflicted with the story of the Native American genocide; and the myth of the garden frequently ended in ecological disaster. In this course we will take a closer look at both the history of the West and its legacy in modern American society. Among the topics to be discussed are cultural contacts between Europeans and Natives, the varieties of frontier cultures, land policies, frontier violence, the legacy of the West in the myths and symbols of American society, and the emergence of the twentieth-century West.
