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2018-2019 Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

HIST 20121 - The Craft of History: the History of, American Holidays

Course Credit: 1
Turkey, Christmas trees, fireworks and Parades are just a few of the cultural icons of the American public calendar. As America developed a political structure and ideology it also developed a particular set of holidays both proscribed (like Memorial Day) and more popular events (like Valentines Day.) This course investigates how and why America’s public calendar has developed over the past three-hundred years. As a writing intensive course, students will engage in historiographical debates about the nature of American holidays and participate in creating historical narratives. We will explore what a holiday is, how they convey meaning, and why they change over time. In addition, we will use these cultural events to explore how Americans contest the culture in which they live. Throughout this course, students will be asked to grapple with two main questions: what is cultural history and how do American Holidays convey culture? [C, HSS, W]