The semester is still a few days away here in Massachusetts, which means that I’m just finishing up syllabi as I watch my friends talk about their first class meetings on campuses far away. My teaching schedule for the fall includes an old favorite that I haven’t been able to teach for a long time and a brand-new general education course. Below are catalog descriptions and links to the course sites. I’m debuting a few new assignments and trying out a few other things, so there may be blog updates (here or at the Junto) about my experiments as they develop.
An examination of autobiographies and memoirs by Americans both well-known and obscure. These reflections by people from diverse backgrounds who made and experienced American history provide insight and perspective on the historical periods in which they lived. Subjects vary by semester.
HSTA 304 The American Revolution
A social, political, military, and diplomatic history of the emerging United States from 1763 to 1787. The course focuses on the causes and consequences of the War of Independence. The revolutionary nature of the period is considered within the context of the larger Atlantic world.
Joseph M. Adelman 