HIST 373
Citizenship: An American History Fall 2014
Division II
This is not the current course catalog

This reading and discussion centered seminar focuses on the history of citizenship in the United States from the Revolutionary Era to the present. Questions we will consider include: How did the meaning of and rights associated with citizenship change over the course of U. S. history? How did race, gender, marital status, birthplace, sexuality, religion, disability, poverty shape access to or enjoyment of citizenship? What was the relationship between state and national citizenship? What was the relationship among citizenship, territorial expansion, and sovereignty? Where and how do refugees and guest workers fit into a nation in which rights rest largely on citizenship? And what was the relationship between legal personhood and citizenship and how did the two shape borders of belonging in U. S. history? Throughout, law and the state will be central to our discussions. The reading load will be substantial, including a book or multiple articles and related primary sources each week. Assignments will include submitting weekly discussion questions on readings, two short papers (4-5 pages) related to course readings, and an original research paper (15-20 pages) on a topic chosen by each student in consultation with the instructor.