History of Sexuality in the United States In this course we will explore sexuality in relation to race, class, gender, and religion in US history using primary and secondary sources. We will study indigenous sexualities and the impact of settler colonialism, sex work during the American Revolution, sexuality under slavery, the medicalization and criminalization of homosexuality, urban gay subcultures, Cold War sexuality, the politics of birth control, sex during the AIDS epidemic, and sexuality from transgender and non-binary perspectives.  Beyond learning historiography, we will examine methodological issues with writing histories of sexuality. When relevant, we will study examples from Europe and Canada.

Histories of U.S. Radicalism, 1917-2017 From communism to libertarianism, Black Nationalism to radical feminism, this seminar examines the many facets of radical social movements in the United States during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. In particular, we will draw on individual and collective biographies of radicals to explore chronological linkages and social connections between apparently discrete political tendencies. We will also consider the political, social, cultural, and economic contexts that catalyzed these movements, the various forms of backlash and repression they faced, and the changing political uses to which these historical movements have been put.

History of US Food Politics In this course we will use U.S. food politics as a lens for understanding developments in political economy, changes in the role of the state, and evolving attitudes toward gender, race, labor, childhood, citizenship, health, and the body during the twentieth century. How have government, corporations, and scientists shaped U.S. foodways? How have people been affected by broad trends in food politics, and how have they resisted, as consumers, citizens, and activists? To answer these questions, we will use methods of social and cultural history to explore food politics from the top down and the bottom up.

Jewish Oral History In this weekly seminar students will learn the basics of oral history—research, interview skills, processing, archiving, and presentation—by conducting interviews with members of Kolot Chayeinu, a Brooklyn-based Jewish congregation. Students will work with congregants to create an oral history archive. Depending on student interests and abilities, additional outcomes may include films, audiowalks, social media presence, listening parties, or podcasts. Students will also study oral history theory, the evolution of American Jewish spirituality, and New York City social movements. An oral history of Kolot encompasses Jewish histories of feminism, LGBTQ and AIDS activism, peace and human rights work, death and dying, childhood and adult education, antiracism, theatre, art, music, nonprofit development, politics, rabbinical training, coalition work, and more.

Black and Jewish Feminist Perspectives Feminism has a rich history in the United States. In this course we will study feminism from the perspectives of two distinct, sometimes intersecting groups: Black Americans and Jewish Americans. We will explore major feminist texts, writers, and collectives, from Angela Davis, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and the Combahee River Collective to Shulamith Firestone, Judith Plaskow, B’Not Esh, and Di Vilde Chayes. Through their work and activism, we will study in this reading-intensive course how race, class, spirituality, and sexuality have shaped and reshaped feminist concerns.

Modern American Jewish History What characterizes the modern American Jewish experience? Is it the effort to assimilate into the American mainstream? Is it about the struggle to preserve Jewish distinctiveness? Drawing on historical scholarship and primary sources (films, art, cartoons, newspapers, literature), we will consider the many meanings of American Jewish identity, particularly its religious, racial, ethnic, and national connotations. We will begin in the 1880s, during the largest wave of Jewish immigration to the U.S. Topics will include “Americanization,” labor, political activism, religious reform, World War II and the Holocaust, “Jewish continuity,” gender roles, race relations, urbanization, suburbanization, and the relationship of Jews to white flight, Zionism, anti-Semitism, and philanthropy.

Writing History In this course students discuss historical methods and writing strategies to create convincing historical narratives. With the approval and guidance of the professor, students complete a 20-25-page research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Students take this course in the fall of their junior year or with permission in the spring.  If students are away for the entire junior year, they can take the course in the fall of their senior year. 3 hr. sem. Restricted to HIST, ESHI, HSMT majors and HIST minors.

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.

Practicing Oral History In this intensive, hands-on workshop, students will prepare for, conduct, and process their own oral histories. We will decide collectively on an overarching theme to investigate through the interviews, such as work, friendship, or mental illness. The first week will be introductory and theoretical. We will explore what oral history is, why historians do it, how the interview fits as an historical source among other sources, and the problem of memory. During the second week, students will focus on preparing for and conducting the interview. This will include conducting background research, developing consent forms, and refining interview techniques. The third week will be about making sense of the interview and exploring different ways to process it (indexing, abstracting, transcribing, storyboarding). Students will also write a reflective paper on the interview process. The fourth week will consist of historical presentations in which the interview is supplemented with other historical sources. The workshop will be grounded in the methodological concerns and questions of the discipline of history. It may also be of special interest to those interested in journalism, sociology, and anthropology (among other fields!). Students from any discipline, with prior oral history experience or none at all, are all welcome. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities.*

Activism and the U.S. AIDS Crisis * The history of HIV/AIDS has much to teach us about the politics of late twentieth-century and early twenty-first century American life. Building on foundations laid by earlier generations, people with AIDS in the 1980s organized against government neglect, homophobia, and a profit-driven pharmaceutical industry to demand treatment and care. Using historical scholarship, oral history, digitized archival collections, and film, we will explore a rich yet hidden history of grassroots activism, and consider how race, sexuality, gender, and class shaped responses to HIV/AIDS. In addition to readings-based discussion, students will conduct multi-staged research projects to explore AIDS activism in historical perspective.

Lana Povitz

Reviews and ratings for Lana Povitz at Middlebury College.Lana Povitz teaches History of Sexuality in the US, Hist of U.S. Radicalism, History of US Food Politics and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Lana Povitz good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Povitz is well versed in a variety of material that we covered in this course -- whether it was the textbook we were reading or an anecdote about the author of a academic paper we were analyzing, Povitz breadth of understanding as a historian was powerful for history of sexuality in the US. We covered a lot of material in 12 weeks, however the mixture of interactive projects: plays, in-class writes, and final fill-us-in-proposal offered us a variety of ways to showcase our knowledge. Specifically, the index cards we had to do for most readings required us to synthesize the content and made us also accurately learn how to cite content. I learned more about US history through the lens of sexuality and specifically how colonialism is a gendered process. 

I felt that Prof. Povitz was incredibly engaging with the material, and while there was quite a bit of material to read, I felt that I was able to absorb and understand it quite well thanks the way the class was structured. I really enjoyed the small group discussions and it wasn't anxiety inducing for me to participate in large group discussions because of that

Probably the best and my favorite course I've taken at Middlebury! So cool! I love Professor Povitz— she is smart, enthusiastic, very intentional with course design and does a wonderful job facilitating and fostering class community. The course involved completing an oral history of a member of Kolot Chayeinu, and a trip to visit Kolot in Brooklyn. Through the course, what I learned about history, oral history, community, organizing and contemporary judaism has truly impacted me. Not only did I learn super cool things, I gained valuable skills in interviewing and research and joined a whole community of people. 