HIST 426 - Post World War II America

This seminar engages the students and instructor in a critical and in-depth analysis of crucial issues affecting the United States during the twenty-five years following the Second World War. Its purpose is to describe and analyze how and why the United States reacted to the challenges posed when it became a global power. Specifically, we explore the benefits and costs Americans, especially the 75 million born between 1946 and 1975, have and are incurring as a result of the consensus wrought by the Cold War and Cult of Materialism. This includes the impact of four limited wars (Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq) on American society, the rise of national institutions with immense power, and the demise of confidence in some of those institutions. We spend considerable time evaluating how and why Americans have responded to inequities in a prosperous representative democracy as conservatives and liberals duel over the direction the nation should pursue.

Credits: 3
NOTE:
* Honors Scholar Course.
** History major United States History course.
*** This course counts toward the 63-credit Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) graduation requirement.
**** This is a writing-enhanced course.