Course Synopsis: 

This course examines the rise of the automobile and “car culture” in North America, focusing on the period from 1900 through the Energy Crisis of the 1970s. While the course is concerned with the automobile in and of itself, it also uses the automobile as a vehicle for exploring larger themes in the history of the United States and Canada. Topics covered include the automobile’s central place in modern production, consumption, and leisure; in transforming rural and urban areas; and in creating new landscapes such as interstate highways, sprawling suburbs, and roadside strips. We also explore how the automobile contributed to national and regional identities; to notions of alienation, abundance, and personal freedom; and to environmental preservation and degradation.

During the semester students will be introduced to a variety of methodologies and theories that characterize the study of modern history. By the end of the course, they will gain skills in critical thinking, primary source assessment, and communicative writing. Students are expected to keep up with readings and to actively participate in class discussions. Towards this end, 1-page Reading Notes will be handed in at regular intervals. The other assignments consist of a primary source analysis; paper proposal; and short research paper.

Course Format: 

• In-person; two 80-minute seminars per week.
• Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-3:50 pm

Learning Outcomes:  

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Identify and explain key factors (including social, economic, cultural, environmental, and political) in the emergence and persistence of “car culture” in North America.
2. Summarize and evaluate arguments advanced by historians in academic publications.
3. Assess and interpret primary source materials, through skills developed in seminar discussions and reading notes, and applied in a paper.
4. Develop skills in how to cite primary and secondary sources.
5. Improve your written analysis and argumentation.
6. Communicate your ideas and arguments orally, and engage in active listening, through regular, constructive participation in seminar discussions.

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

• Seminar Participation - 25%
• Reading Notes (6x) - 30%
• Primary Source Paper - 15%
• Research Paper Proposal - 5%
• Research Paper - 25%

Required Readings:

• Chris Wells, Car Country: An Environmental History (University of Washington Press, 2012); 
• other readings, such as articles and book chapters, will be available through Courselink.

*Please note: This is a preliminary web course description only. The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description. The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.

**Please login to WebAdvisor, once the course schedule goes live, for instructor and room information.