U.S. Origin Stories
U.S. Origin Stories Some U.S. origin stories cast (white) Americans as chosen people, discoverers of a bountiful continent, their community a beacon of righteousness to the world. Other stories locate the nation's origins in slavery or in settler colonialism. One story celebrates America’s founding commitment to freedom, equality, and justice - principles which, in turn, sustain another origin story – that of America as a nation borne of and welcoming to immigrants. Origin stories might be foundational, but their meanings are never fixed. In this course we will explore the elasticity and persistence of origin stories, evident in current debates about whether U.S. history begins in 1619 or 1776, about migrant rights, about the self-determination of indigenous peoples, about white nationalism, and about U.S. global leadership.
U.S. Origin Stories Some U.S. origin stories cast (white) Americans as chosen people, discoverers of a bountiful continent, their community a beacon of righteousness to the world. Other stories locate the nation's origins in slavery or in settler colonialism. One story celebrates America’s founding commitment to freedom, equality, and justice - principles which, in turn, sustain another origin story – that of America as a nation borne of and welcoming to immigrants. Origin stories might be foundational, but their meanings are never fixed. In this course we will explore the elasticity and persi …Read more
Professor Allen was highly invested in the material and taught it in a very accessible manner. I found the lectures very interesting and informative, although there were times it could get a bit dense. I guess my one critique would be that Professor Allen sometimes seems unsure if what she's saying is making sense or landing with us, but it was always very clear to me what she was saying. Professor Allen is also an incredibly nice person who seemed very accommodating and invested in her students success.
Professor Allen was highly invested in the material and taught it in a very accessible manner. I found the lectures very interesting and informative, although there were times it could get a bit dense. I guess my one critique would be that Professor Allen sometimes seems unsure if what she's saying is making sense or landing with us, …Read more
Professor Allen is a very nice person and I feel that she loves what she's teaching. There's reading due for every class, but they're not very dense and you can get away with only reading the ones you would need for a discussion post. The two papers that are due are pretty spaced out from each other and were generally easy assignments. Other than that, there's a big group project at the end of the semester, but she gives students a lot of freedom with topic and formatting. I would definitely take another class with Prof.Allen in the future.
Professor Allen is a very nice person and I feel that she loves what she's teaching. There's reading due for every class, but they're not very dense and you can get away with only reading the ones you would need for a discussion post. The two papers that are due are pretty spaced out from each other and were generally easy assignment …Read more
easy course with generally interesting material. If you're looking for a 4th class this is definitely one of my favorites I have taken so far. There is a lot of reading for each class, but you can kind of pick and choose which readings to do based on which discussion questions you want to answer. Allen seems a little disorganized but she is so nice and accommodating. There are 2 short essays and a fairly large group project, but compared to other classes it's really not that bad.
easy course with generally interesting material. If you're looking for a 4th class this is definitely one of my favorites I have taken so far. There is a lot of reading for each class, but you can kind of pick and choose which readings to do based on which discussion questions you want to answer. Allen seems a little disorganized but …Read more
I truly enjoyed taking this course with Professor Allen. She is very enthusiastic about her work and course material. You get the most out of this course when you put the most in, meaning that your enjoyment of this course is reflective of the time and effort you put in outside of the class and into readings. That being said, this class has a very light workload in terms of papers and the material is very interesting. It allows you to dive into what you are most interested in. Would highly recommend and take again.
I truly enjoyed taking this course with Professor Allen. She is very enthusiastic about her work and course material. You get the most out of this course when you put the most in, meaning that your enjoyment of this course is reflective of the time and effort you put in outside of the class and into readings. That being said, this cl …Read more
This class opened up a new perspective on the stories I have heard growing up about the foundations of the United States. Professor Allen does an excellent job of presenting thought provoking questions about what the effects of these stories are as well as why they have those effects.