Conservatism in the United States, c.1930-c.1990 (P01703)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HCA-P-ConsUSA

In 1994, Alan Brinkley observed that historians of the United States during the twentieth century had largely failed to explain the strength of conservative politics, generally choosing to focus instead on liberals and liberalism. Over the past decade, this literature has undergone a significant transformation, as historians have tackled many of the oversights identified by Brinkley and have pursued other research questions as well. This course will encourage students to explore the historiography of modern American conservatism and to engage with key debates within this literature. The course will investigate the modern history of conservative ideas in the United States, the strategies of conservative politicians in pursuit of power and their actions once they won power, and the development of movements that sought to mobilise grass-roots support for conservative ideas. Among the themes under consideration will be the nature of conservatism in the American South and the emergence of the Republican party there. The most intensely contested debate that the course analyses involves the reasons for the decline of liberalism and the rise of conservatism from the 1960s onwards.

By taking the course, students will develop an understanding of key arguments about one of the central topics in twentieth-century U.S. political history. The course will explore methodologies and approaches taken by scholars - including not only historians but also those working within other disciplines, notably that of politics - to their investigations of the subject. It will also explore the nature of the material available to historians in studying different aspects of the subject.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate (School of History and Classics), (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 1 hour(s) 50 minutes per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the course will have acquired an advanced knowledge and understanding of key aspects of the study of political conservatism in the United States between the arrival of the Great Depression and the end of the Reagan years. In particular, they will:

(a) be able to analyse independently historical evidence concerning this topic;
(b) engage in historical arguments in relation to twentieth-century U.S. conservatism, together with some arguments within the literature of political science;
(c) develop an appreciation of how the study of a key topic in historiography can widen their historical horizon and research agenda;
(d) set their own historical research agenda in relation to the historiography of modern American conservatism;
(e) prepare and present their own work for seminars and workshops;
actively participate in group discussion;
(f) and be able to make efficient use of library and IT resources.