Power and Violence in America: An Historical Approach to Politics
In this course we will explore the complex relationship between industrialization, the labor movement, race relations, and the organization of violence in America. Students will learn about major events in American history, from the founding of the United States through the end of World War II. The topics covered include labor strikes, riots, and ethnic and racial tensions, as well as the related formation of police forces, private security guards, and vigilante groups. In learning about such conflicts, we will examine the indelible mark that these events left on American political development in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Throughout the semester, students will encounter fundamental questions concerning the distribution of income and the use of force in American society. This course is being taught simultaneously at Amherst College and will include a virtual classroom component as well as opportunities for inter-collegiate collaboration. 3 hrs. sem. (American Politics)