HTY 199: Problems in History: Origins of U.S. Entertainment
Instructor: Samuel Backer
Days/Time: MWF 10-10:50am
Location: S155
Course Number: 44594
Description: From Blackface to Broadcast” traces the history of popular culture in the United States, starting in the 1830s, when Blackface minstrelsy initiated a new wave of commercial performance, and ending in the 1930s, when records, films, and radio ushered in the era of mass culture. In particular, the course will examine how entertainment gradually developed from a local practice tied to the specific communities that produced it into a national commodity, created by for-profit businesses and disseminated to consumers across the country. Students will be introduced to the basics of Digital History research, teaching them a set of valuable mapping and data-analysis skills, and helping them to produce their own original research into the history of American entertainment.
General Education Requirements: This course does not satisfy any of the General Education requirements.