HIST 203-01, Women in the American West, Fall 1999

Abstract

We begin by analyzing traditional histories of the American West: What is meant by “frontier”? What is considered historically significant? What do these conceptual frameworks tell us, or not tell us, about women’s lives? Next we explore the new scholarship: How is the West redefined to include women? How do the meanings of “frontier” change, when viewed through women’s eyes? How did gender systems evolve in the American West, across cultures and across time? What larger patterns can we discern, and what variations do we find? How might these insights broaden our understanding of Native American, EuroAmerican and African-American women’s lives? Research workshops are situated throughout the course, to provide experience interpreting archival materials on western women. In small groups, students will work with the following primary sources: oral history, written memoirs, census manuscripts, government documents, land plats, and court records. Out of this experimentation, each student will develop an original research project.