- Looking Backward: America in the 20th Century

Institution:

The Evergreen State College

Subject:

Description:

Faculty: David L. Hitchens (American diplomatic history), Jerry Lassen (economics) Major areas of study include American history, economic thought, American literature and mass culture. Class Standing: This all-level program offers appropriate support for freshmen as well as supporting and encouraging those ready for advanced work. The United States began the 20th century as a second-rate military and naval power, and a debtor country. The nation ended the century as the last superpower with an economy and military that sparked responses across the globe. In between, the United States invented flying, created atomic weapons, sent men to the moon and began to explore the physical underpinnings of our place in the universe. Many observers have characterized the 20th century as "America's Century" because, in addition to developing as the mightiest military machine on the face of the earth, the United States also spawned the central phenomenon of "the mass." Mass culture, mass media, mass action, massive destruction, massive fortunes¡ªall are significant elements of life in the United States. Looking Backward will be a retrospective, close study of the origins, development, expansion and elaboration of "the mass" phenomena and will place those aspects of national life against our heritage to determine if the political, social and economic growth of the nation in the last century was a new thing or the logical continuation of long-standing, familiar impulses and forces in American life. While exploring these issues, we will use history, economics, sociology, literature, popular culture and the tools of statistics to help us understand the nation and its place in the century. At the same time, students will be challenged to understand their place in the scope of national affairs, read closely, write with effective insight and develop appropriate research projects to refine their skills and contribute to the collective enrichment of the program. There will be workshops on economic thought, student panel discussions of assigned topics as well as program-wide symposia. Each end-of-quarter symposium will provide a culmination of the quarter's work. Students will gain valuable experience in public speaking and presentation. Total: 16 credits each quarter. Enrollment: 46 Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in the humanities and social sciences, law, journalism, history, economics, sociology, literature, popular culture, cultural anthropology and teaching. This program is also listed under Programs for Freshmen and Culture, Text and Language. A similar program will be offered in 2008-09.

Credits:

16.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.evergreen.edu

Phone Number:

(360) 867-6170

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Quarter

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