HIST1913: Goin' to the U: A Critical History

You are the 146th group of freshmen to matriculate at the University of Minnesota. How has the university changed since the first class of freshmen arrived in 1871, and how has the pursuit of a college education evolved? This seminar will examine the history of the University of Minnesota as a case study of the changing nature of college education in America overall. Topics to be studied include the changing structure of college education as a mode of learning, its organization, expectations, and intended outcomes; the nature of college life as a subset of American life as a whole, including issues of gender, race, class, and the question of inclusion; student life as a subset of American life overall, including institutions like fraternities and sororities, college athletics, and the relation between the collegiate campus and the wider world (i.e. student protest, activism, and politics). Students will pursue original research in university archives to create their own understanding of the history of the university.

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