HIS 3420 - American West

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): ENG 1010 or equivalent with a grade of D or better, and any course with HIS prefix or that is crosslisted with HIS prefix, or permission of instructor

Description: This course treats the American West as a region bounded in the east by the Missouri River and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. The course begins with a survey of Native peoples who made their homes in this place for thousands of years. Next, students will encounter the complicated tangle of myth and history as they study mineral rushes, fur trades, mountain men, outlaws, massacres, railroads, cattle barons, vigilantism, and wars for control. The course concludes with a look at the “modern” west. From Silicon Valley in California to Silicon Mountain in Colorado, students will study dam building, water management, urbanization, sustainability, environmentalism, the military industrial complex, and ponder the future of this region.

University Requirement(s): Multicultural