History 733 - Sem-Cvl Wr&Recnstrct

This seminar explores the revolutionary significance of the Civil War and Reconstruction era in United States history. It seeks to bridge the gap between African American history and the traditional narratives of mid-nineteenth century American political and social history. We will focus on the wartime destruction of slavery and the process of emancipation and state formation and African American political mobilization during and after Reconstruction. Other topics include the transnational histories of the Civil War, the new military history, gender and the politics of war, the transition from slavery to free labor, and the role of terror in the fall of Reconstruction. We will read a book a week and recent historical literature will form the bulk of the reading for the seminar.All students will be required to lead the class discussion once during the semester and write a fifteen to twenty page historiographical or research paper on a topic of their choice. Students taking this course at the 700-level will need to write an original research paper using
primary sources.

Open to Doctoral & Masters students only.