HENB01355U English - Elective 1, topic 5: American Civil War and Reconstruction

This course examines the monumental struggle in the middle of the 19th Century to redefine the very meanings of individualism, equality, manhood, family, religion, freedom, nationalism, and expansion. The myths created on the field of battle and on the homefront and in the larger global participation in the struggle resonate strongly in the United States in the 21st Century. It is impossible to understand American policies and society in the contemporary era without having a deep understanding of Mr. Lincoln’s War and the splendid, but deeply flawed, Reconstruction that followed. This is not a course on military history. Classes will focus on the interconnections between the battlefields and the homefronts. To increase our understanding of the struggle, the last hour of each class will incorporate a wide range of fine popular and documentary film clips.