This course examines the transregional and transnational forces that converged into the locations that, throughout history, American society has called "the West." It also explores how the occupation and development of the American West inspired similar expansionist projects in other parts of world. We will investigate the transformation of vast territories previously inhabited by Native groups into a booming agro-industrial empire controlled by white men. Within this context, we will study the cultures that developed and clashed in the West. We will use academic texts and primary-source material such as travel narratives, letters, ethnographies, novels, drawings, photographs, and film. We will delve into the lived experience in the West and the images, myths, and visions that different groups produced about it. During the semester, students will write a research paper on a topic of their choice related to the American West in global perspective. |