Through a combination of lectures, seminars, and readings, the two-semester module Grundlagen der Amerikanischen Geschichte und Gesellschaft provides a general introduction to some of the key developments in the history of the United States from the colonial era to the present. In addition, it equips students with the basic concepts and skills of historical inquiry. While it covers major political events such as the American Revolution or the Civil War, as well as their impact on U.S. society, the module also looks at the lives of ordinary men and women, the institutions they built, and the various social movements they organized. Finally, it addresses the development of and the struggle over the social, political, and ideological norms and values that have shaped the United States and its citizens’ identity. The first part of the module -- Amerikanische Geschichte und Gesellschaft I -- covers American history from the colonial period to 1900.
- Trainer/in: Thomas Clark