|
|
|
||
|
The focus and goal of this course it to introduce students to the diverse views and ideas about freedom, rights, subjugation, and hegemony as they developed within the American society throughout its history, from the initial contact to the present. The aim of the course is not to present a comprehensive chronological narrative, rather, it will concentrate on pivotal moments and events that will allow students to examine the developing meanings and definitions of freedom to people from different walks of life at different times. The students will examine the role and intersections of class, race, and gender relations in formulating these ideas within the context of domestic and internationals relations.
The course is open only for students of master's degree programmes. Last update: Hrubá Kateřina, Mgr. (28.01.2026)
|
|
||
|
At the end of the course, students will be able to critically engage with the concept of freedom and understand its historical developments within the contexts of domestic and international relations of the United States and the intersections of class, gender, and race.
Last update: Kýrová Lucie, M.A., D.Phil. (27.01.2026)
|
|
||
|
Succesful fulfillment of assignments:
class participation/attendance 30% research project 40% final exam 30%
Grading will follow the Dean's provision: https://fsv.cuni.cz/opatreni-dekanky-c-20/2019 Last update: Kýrová Lucie, M.A., D.Phil. (27.01.2026)
|
|
||
|
Alison R. Bernstein, American Indians and World War II: Toward a New Era in Indian Affairs (University of Oklahoma Press, 1991)
David Chandler, Empire in Denial: The Politics of State-Building (Pluto Press, 2006)
Nan Estand, Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure: Working Women, Popular Culture, and Labor Politics at the Turn of the Twentieth Century (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999)
Eric Foner, “Freedom: America's Evolving and Enduring Idea,” OAH Magazine of History (July, 2006), 9 - 11.
Grace Elizabeth Hale, Nation of Outsiders: How the White Middle Class Fell in Love with Rebellion in Postwar America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011)
Laura McEnaney, Civil Defense Begins at Home: Militarization Meets Everyday Life in the Fifties (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000)
Gary B. Nash, The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the Struggle to Create America (New York: Viking, 2005)
Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green, The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents (Boston and New York: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1995)
Margaret Sanger, Motherhood in Bondage (Brentano’s, Inc., 1928; reprint New York: Pergamon Press, 1956)
Ralph Young, Dissent: The History of an American Idea (New York: New York University Press, 2015)
And a selection of additional primary and secondary sources. Last update: Kýrová Lucie, M.A., D.Phil. (27.01.2026)
|
|
||
|
Class meetings will consist of discussions of the assigned readings, complemented with short lectures that will provide necessary background. Moodle course: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=4984 Use of generative AI tools: The use and citation of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT or MS Copilot) in seminar papers and other coursework must comply with the decrees of the IMS Director No. 7/2023 and 9/2023. Generative AI tools may be used unless explicitly prohibited by the instructor. However, they may not be used to generate substantial sections of the text or replace the student’s own intellectual contribution. The student remains fully responsible for any content generated with assistance of AI tools. Presenting AI-generated content, whether verbatim, rephrased, or only slightly modified, as one’s own work constitutes plagiarism. Every submitted paper must include a transparent statement specifying which generative AI tools were used, in which stage of the work they were employed, and how they were used, or confirming that no generative AI tools were used. If this statement is missing or incomplete, the instructor is not permitted to accept the paper for evaluation. Unless the instructor explicitly prohibits the use of generative AI tools, the decision to use or not to use them rests fully with the student. The student has the right to request that the instructor does not use AI assistance for evaluating their work. Last update: Kýrová Lucie, M.A., D.Phil. (09.02.2026)
|
|
||
|
Topics:
1. What is Freedom? 2. The American Revolution, part I: What is freedom and who has it? 3. The American Revolution, part II: Freedom for whom? 4. Domestic and International Imperialism, part I: Westward Expansion, Cherokee Removal and Indigenous Power in the Southwest 5. Domestic and International Imperialism, part II: Manifest Destiny in International Settings/Liberal Imperialism 6. Labor and Politics during the Postbellum Era and the Gilded Age 7. Women’s Rights at the Turn of the 20th Century 8. Jim Crow Shellshock:African-American experiences in the Civil War, WWI and WWII 9. Pursuit of Fairness? WWII Homefront 10. Challenging the Status Quo: The Freedom to Dissent? 11. Conservative Backlash - "The Oppressed Majority" 12. Empire in Denial Last update: Kýrová Lucie, M.A., D.Phil. (09.02.2026)
|