HIST 410  ARCHITECTURE IN THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

‘Buildings should serve people, not the other way around.’ 
---John Portman 

An overview of the built environment in the United States from colonial settlement through the present. The course will examine how buildings and landscapes relate to American history. Emphasis is placed on the architecture of New England. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION 
We will examine architecture, related landscapes and historic preservation as it pertains to the growth and development of the country-- from Wetus to skyscrapers, from the urban to the rural. Who were the designers? The builders? The users? Why have some buildings been preserved and not others? Who makes the decisions?  What are current trends in eco-conscious construction? In addition to lecture format, we will take walking tours and listen to professionals in the field. 

The class will provide a basic knowledge of architectural terms, styles, architects and builders, and contemporary trends, for upper-level students considering a career in history, public history, building and preservation design, technology and methodology, or with an interest in museum and material culture studies.

By the end of this class, you will develop a set of analytical skills that are essential to historians, but can be applied beyond the walls of the university in a range of occupations that require critical thinking, writing, and speaking. 

In this course, students will explore the American past through the careful examination of 8 outbreaks and epidemics between the colonial era and the present: smallpox, yellow fever, polio, typhoid fever, influenza, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Students will use these case studies to uncover the impact of these diseases on American medicine, politics, economy, demographics, and the daily lives of affected individuals. Students will gain research skills through extensive use of primary sources including newspapers, diaries, archaeological findings, and oral traditions of illness as well as modern sources like photographs, blogs, news, and digital media, and representations of disease on television and film. We will seek to explore the ways that past Americans reacted differently to outbreaks of disease, as well as the ways that our modern experience mirrors the past.  

Have you ever wondered why June is gay pride month? Or how the LGBTQ+ rights movement began? Most of us are at least familiar with the Stonewall Riots but how did we get there and where did we go from there? In this 1-credit online course, we’ll be looking at where the origins of the LGBTQ+ movement began to where we are today with marriage equality throughout the United States.