ST: HISTORY OF AMERICAN MANHOOD
| Do men have a history as men? How important has the construction of gender been in the lives of American men? How have ideas about masculinity and manhood changed over time? How has gender effected men of different races, classes, ethnicities, and sexual orientations? What connections can we draw between changing conceptions of manliness and the changes and trends we normally study in history classes-eg. economic development, war, political and social movements? In this course we will address these questions, utilizing the insights of historians of men and gender to examine the changing conceptions of masculinity in U.S. history. Attention will be paid to the mutability of gender roles and expectations in the face of historical circumstances such as wars, industrialization, movements for women’s rights, and shifting family demographics. We will also pay particular attention to the emerging field of gender studies and the assess its historiographical contributions to our study and understanding of the past. |