History 238

The American West

Professor Jeff Roche

TT: 2:30-3:50

Kauke 143

No other part of the country is so surrounded by myth, historical misinterpretations, and hype as the American West. In this course, we will seek to understand the West as it was and how it has come to be known. Central to our understanding is the concept of regionalism – we will examine the West as both a place and as a process. To gain a better understanding of the way these processes operate over time, we will examine three important periods and places in the West: the first part of the course we will examine empire in Southwest and the relationships between the Pueblos, the Spanish, and the Comanche. We will then turn our attention to the commodification and development of  the Great Plains as part of the industrialization of the United States. Lastly, we will look at Los Angeles as the preeminent city of the American West and the most important city in the twentieth century United States. We will approach our examination of the West using the tools of the environmental historian, the cultural historian, the economic historian, and the social historian.

Student Learning Goals:

An understanding of the competing historical narratives of the American West

A working model for reading and analyzing historical narratives and arguments

The ability to construct a critical written analysis of a historical monograph

To ability present your ideas in both formal and informal settings