HIST 244-01, History of Childhood in America, Spring 1999

Abstract

All societies seek to transmit their values, traditions, expectations, and beliefs to the rising generation. We can study this process and how it has changed over time by examining the lives of American children and the institutions created to train them. “The History of Childhood in America” is a survey of the ways in which the concept of childhood has been defined and valued throughout the course of American history. Every effort will be made to include the experiences of children both within and outside of middle-class white America. Class time will be devoted principally to discussion of readings, with formal lectures limited to topics on which no appropriate readings could be found. Students share responsibility for the quality of class discussions. This course includes a servicelearning component. Your enrollment in the course signifies your willingness to complete an 8-week service-learning component, chosen from options provided, as well as completing other class requirements. GOALS OF THIS COURSE: -improve critical reading skills and enhance engagement with interpretive history, including the strengths and biases of historians who write about children -explore different constructions of childhood through time -evaluate strategies that have been employed by private and public agencies to improve the lives of children -gain experience in the lives of real children through participation in the work of a social agency or institution devoted to improving children’s lives -increase knowledge of United States history