HIST 220 - US Women’s History

Credit Hours: 3

Explores the history of American women from the colonial period to the present. Course topics address the changing political, social, and economic views of women’s roles and responsibilities over time; the challenges and discrimination women faced (and continue to face) in the struggle to attain equal rights; and the diversity of women’s experiences across race, ethnicity, class, and religion. Three of the most important questions that inform the course are: 1.) How did the “ideal” vision of womanhood mask the diversity of women’s lives? 2.) Did all women share the same goals when it came to their position in American life? 3.) Did the passage of time always signal progress? Students use a survey text of American women’s history and a host of primary source documents from the time periods under study as they read, write about, and discuss the topic over the course of the semester.