The American Civil War

Course Description

This course uses the American Civil War of 1861-1865 to investigate certain issues relevant to current domestic and global affairs: the use of history in popular memory and popular culture (focusing on the Civil War in public art and film); the role of law in the prosecution and resolution of war; international law, especially as it applies to war and human rights. The course is aimed at students interested in history, law, and international relations. There are no prerequisites--the course is accessible to students at all levels--but some knowledge of U.S. history might be useful.

The course is aimed at students interested in history, law, and international relations. There are no prerequisites--the course is accessible to students at all levels--but some knowledge of U.S. history might be useful.
An examination of the American Civil War and related topics in international law, international relations, and popular culture (this is not purely a course on military history). Students will learn about the American Civil War in a global context while also learning to analyze documents of different genres; and learning to make optimal use of online databases. The course assumes no background knowledge, yet it acknowledges that students may have a strong background in U.S. history, so it focuses especially on topics of current relevance that fall outside of typical history courses--international conflict and international law in particular.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

• Write short, analytical papers based on both scholarly readings and original writings and graphic arts.
• Understand historical precedents that inform modern-day domestic laws involving security and civil liberties.
• Understand historical precedents that inform modern-day international law (treaties, security, norms of warfare).
• Be comfortable and expert at oral presentation and taking part in scholarly discussion.

Prerequisites: None