HISTORY OF AMERICAN THOUGHT, 1859 TO THE PRESENT

HISTORY 302

Course Description

Designed for those who are interested in the role of ideas and culture in modern American history. Examine developments in philosophy, science, political theory, social criticism, and the arts in American life from 1859 to the present. Read the works of a number of influential thinkers and writers, as well as explore a variety of intellectual movements, which shaped the cultural worlds of late 19th- and 20th-century Americans. Themes include: the influence of Darwinism on religion; the impact of industrialization on ideas about American society; the revolt against formalism in philosophy, literature, and the social sciences; early twentieth-century conceptions of race, ethnicity, and gender; the responsibility of the intellectual in times of national and global crisis; post-WWII liberalism and existentialism; the rise of postmodernism in the academy and American popular culture, and the persistent contestations over the meaning and scope of American national identity.

Prerequisties

Sophomore standing or 3 credits in HISTORY or HIST SCI

Satisfies

This course does not satisfy any prerequisites.

Credits

Not Reported

Offered

Not Reported

Grade Point Average

3.28

6.93% from Historical

Completion Rate

84%

-10.17% from Historical

A Rate

64%

157.39% from Historical

Class Size

-45.95% from Historical

Instructors (2025 Fall)

Sorted by ratings from Rate My Professors

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