United States History and Cultural Identities

Course aim

To further develop students' capabilities in applied historical analysis and cultural critique related to the complex history and cultural diversity of the world's most powerful country with the world's largest national economy.

Course content

Students will build on the knowledge gained from their first year courses to gain an understanding of the impact of European imperialism on indigenous Americans. They will also assess the War of Independence and US political institutions, Manifest Destiny, the Monroe Doctrine and US hegemony in the Americas. An examination will be made of the political economy of slavery and peonage, and institutionalised racism towards indigenous Americans, Africans, Hispanics and Asians, the Civil War and the replacement of slavery with African-American peonage until WWII and the Civil Rights movement. Contending cultural identities shaped by capitalism, racism and social conservatism in US political culture will be considered, as will sustained US global engagement since 1941, including the global capitalism, the Cold War, the American War in Vietnam and US relations with the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Essay, Research assignment

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 1)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.