Short Course Description
In this course, we will explore different conceptions of and narratives about the American frontier. We shall read texts centering on the themes of nature, the wilderness, survival, the encounter with the native population, and the frontier experience, in order to trace the similarities and differences between periods and accounts. We will also focus on the social and historical contexts that have informed the different ways in which the American frontier has been imagined. Our goal is to arrive at a rich and historically sensitive understanding of the various ways in which the frontier has functioned--as both myth and reality--in American history and culture, from the Colonial Period and up to the present day.
Full syllabus will be available to registered students only
