History 301 - Col: Race, Gender, & Empire

Recent cultural histories of imperialism--European as well as U.S.--have illuminated the workings of race and gender at the heart of imperial encounters. This course will examine the United States' relationship to imperialism through the lens of such cultural histories. How has the encounter between Europe and America been remembered in the United States? How has the cultural construction of 'America' and its 'others' called into play racial and gender identities? How have the legacies of slavery been entwined with U.S. imperial ambitions at different times? And what can we learn from transnational approaches to 'the intimacies of empire?'

This course is open to Juniors and Seniors. Prereq: 8 credits in History department