Advanced Seminars in US History

The American West: Borders and Frontiers

Course Description

           Cowboys, Indians, and the shoot-out at the OK Corral. This is what many think of when they consider the history of the western United States. Often left out of this characterization of “the West” is a discourse about the ways in which the region has long been immersed in a landscape of borders and frontiers. These borders and frontiers have been both real and imagined and all have been central to the development of the United States as a whole. This course explores the many cultural and economic histories of the American West including the histories of the mining, water, racial, gendered, Atomic, and transnational frontiers. The course is writing intensive and incorporates project-based learning.

Painting Above: Among the Sierras, Albert Bierstadt

Our purpose

In 1896, Frederick Jackson Turner explained that, according to census material, the western frontier had “closed.”  Prior to this declaration, Turner had argued that it was the existence of a frontier which had allowed America to develop into the unique economic and cultural nation that it was.  This course will be organized around Turner’s thesis.  After examining broadly the events that occurred before 1896 and after investigating the West of the 20th century, we will ponder as a class 1) how important the idea of a frontier is and 2) how the US West is a microcosm of processes in play all over the world (including globalization, transnationalism, and multi-culturalism).   In order to come to any sort of conclusion about the above issues, we will grapple with the terms “frontier” and “West”.  How did Turner define “frontier” and do we agree with that definition?  What have different people in different times defined as “the West” and how do those shifting definitions affect Turner’s contention?  We will read primary and secondary written sources as well as use films and images to get at these larger analytical issues and, to help us focus a bit in this broad survey, we will concentrate in particular on economic, environmental and social/cultural frontiers.

Course Expectations

You can expect to work very hard in this course and to have a lot of fun! You must come to every class prepared to analyze, memorize, and synthesize. You should also be willing come to class ready to think about new ideas and to be eager to consider the myriad perspectives that inform the lives of historical actors.  We will utilize primary and secondary sources, including films and other visual sources.  The course will be reading and writing intensive and will be based largely in discussion so you MUST come to class prepared to analyze and synthesize the documents we've read for the day!