HIST 286 - History of the American Family

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course examines the history of the American family from the Early Republic to the turn of the twenty-first century. The family has had a unique grip on the American political imagination, informing almost every aspect of everyday life, from the architecture of the home to the extension of citizenship. Drawing from legal, cultural, and economic history, we explore how ideas about marriage, gender, sexuality, and love transformed over time. We analyze the family both as a site of care and as a unit of governance, covering topics such as romantic friendships, settler colonialism and the imposition of the nuclear family, race and marriage law, and the feminist movement(s). Readings include diaries, legal cases, cookbooks, and short works of fiction. Isobel Plowright.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS