The College 101 Welcome to Middlebury College. This first-year seminar is an introductory deep dive into our institution. Who and what makes this place run and what allows that symbiosis to work? To consider these questions, we will explore all corners of “the College.” Our work includes researching archives at Special Collections, studying the built environment, engaging with special guests, and discussing historical sources and scholarship. Through our examination of this campus, we will hone an understanding of the evolving role that colleges play in American national life — and what that has looked like at Middlebury since its founding in 1800. 3 hr. seminar

Cold War America This course examines the history of the United States during the Cold War (1945-1991). From the immediate post-WWII period through the Reagan era, we will investigate widely varied manifestations of anti-communism, paying special attention to how international affairs shaped Americans’ engagement with domestic developments, and vice versa. Topics include the social welfare state, Eisenhower’s New Look and Kennedy’s New Frontier, suburbanization, the Vietnam War, civil rights activism, the conservative movement, feminism, and the politics of globalization. Our goal is to reconsider these transformative changes in context with the Cold War’s geopolitical and ideological conflict. We will use many tools to do so: primary sources like state documents, essays, visual texts, and political tracts, as well scholarly monographs, documentaries, and discussion.

America and the Pacific If the 20th century was "America's Century," then it could also be deemed "America's Pacific Century" as interaction with Asia fundamentally shaped the United States' political, social, and diplomatic development. In this course we will examine American foreign relations on the Pacific Rim from the Philippine-American War to the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Topics to be covered include: America's imperial project in Asia, the annexation of Hawaii, Wilsonian diplomacy, the reconstruction of Japan after World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Richard Nixon's visit to Communist China, and the immigrant experience. 3 hrs sem.

American Conservatism after 1932: Ideology, Politics, History “Let’s grow up, conservatives!” was Sen. Barry Goldwater’s dictum at the 1960 Republican convention. Once dismissed as practically extinct, American conservatism became the most enduring political movement of the 20th century. In this seminar we will trace conservative thought and politics from the New Deal era through the contemporary moment, highlighting both domestic and international developments that shaped the modern American right. Students will closely engage with recent scholarly works as well as primary sources such as speeches, magazines, campaign texts, and visual media to effectively understand conservatism’s historical evolution. 3 hrs. sem

The United States and the World Since 1898 This course serves as an introduction to the history of American foreign relations from the Spanish-American War of 1898 to the turn of the 21st century. Through lectures, discussions, and a variety of readings, we will explore the multi-dimensional nature of the nation's rise to power within the global community, as well as the impact of international affairs upon American society. In addition to formal diplomacy and foreign policy, this course addresses topics such as immigration, cultural exchange, transnationalism, and globalization.

Chinatown, USA From San Francisco to New York, Honolulu to Houston, there are Chinatowns located across the United States. In this seminar we will explore the histories of these communities from the Gold Rush through the 20th century. Our discussions will be founded upon secondary scholarship such as The China-town Trunk Murder Mystery by Mary Ting Yi Lui and Mae Ngai’s The Lucky Ones, as well as primary texts like immigrant accounts, magazines and newspapers, photography, maps, and Hollywood movies. Throughout, we will engage with Chinatowns as spaces shaped by both domestic and transnational contexts, each site and its development illuminating the evolution of a globalized America. Our overarching goal is to understand local/micro history as national and international history.

With Friends Like These: A History of Modern US-China Relations Present-day dynamics between the United States and China appear particularly consequential, yet trans-Pacific relations have long shaped global affairs. In this seminar we will examine the history of China-US relations from the late 19th century into the 21st. Topics will include imperialism, American orientalism, the Cold War, trade wars, and shifting perceptions of hegemony. Through critical reading and discussion we will pay particular attention to how their “special” relationship has shaped China and the United States’ respective evolutions. Students who have taken HIST 479 should not register for this course. Course materials include memoirs, political tracts, Hollywood and Shanghai films, oral histories, and a variety of visual works in complement with scholarly texts. Seminar

A History of “American Freedom” From the Progressive Era to 9/11 The goal of “freedom” has commanded the attention of the most elite Americans as well as the most  oppressed, eliciting a range of strategies for achieving it and an array of visions about how it should  look. In what contexts have Americans sought the “freedom to,” as opposed to “freedom from”? We  will explore the valences of “freedom” starting in the Progressive Era, at the conclusion of the nineteenth  century, and end with the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. We will use primary and secondary  sources to examine this history across the political spectrum.

“Mad Men and Mad Women” Are you a Don, a Roger, or a Pete? A Betty, a Peggy or a Joan? Using AMC's Mad Men as a visual and narrative foundation, we will examine masculinity and femininity in mid-20th century America. We will focus specifically on the connections between postwar mass communication and formation of gender roles, consumption, and cultural expectations. Our inquiry will then extend to recent discussions regarding the politics of historical representation. In addition to the television series, we will use a variety of both primary and secondary sources—including novels, magazines, sociological studies, and scholarly monographs—to achieve a multi-dimensional perspective.

Joyce Mao

Reviews and ratings for Joyce Mao at Middlebury College.Joyce Mao teaches The College 101, Cold War America, America and the Pacific and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Joyce Mao good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

This class was super interesting and the readings were of a very impressive range of "type". We used podcasts, films, readings, articles, and so many types of content that made the higher workload more enjoyable. 

this course was so revealing (and crazy to take during fall 2024). i learned so much from Professor Mao's enthusiasm. She really knows how to run a class discussion, even when it's 3 hours. I highly recommend anyone take a course with her!

Professor Mao is one of the most quality lecturers at Middlebury. She is fun, funny, and extremely entertaining. She teaches the class as though it is a performance, engaging the audience. She showed how Cold War era American history can be enjoyable and relevant today.