Political social North Am_(LEELE207)

This course introduces you to the basics of U.S. history, politics and culture. The course examines select topics and problems intended to explore some pivotal political and social issues. It is designed to broaden your knowledge and understanding of these aspects. This course does not attempt to cover all events and trends that have occurred; instead it isolates a particular set of topics and uses case studies, articles, videos and even novels in order to enrich your vision and understanding of the U.S. In order to do so, it is essential that you devote time and energy to reading U.S. newspapers, such as the New York Times. To attempt to cover so much in 12 weeks is quite challenging; you should nevertheless leave the course with a broad narrative timeline and hopefully many questions.

Keywords: inclusion/exclusion, American identity or “exceptionalism”, multiculturalism, paradox