HSEM2233H: The Histories of Student Activism

College students do a lot of things. They study. They are part of clubs, sports teams, and organizations. They work. They build lives outside the institution. They also protest and look for ways to change the world. This is a course that explores the history of student activism. Students have taken part in some of the most important social movements in the world, most obviously the civil rights movement and protests against wars. Students have also turned their attention inward to demand that the university change or expand in one way or another. In all of these ways, students are engaging in civic life and thinking through the ethics of many public problems. Through a focus on the United States and particular attention paid to the University of Minnesota itself, students will think deeply about questions of activism and reflect on the actions of their direct historical counterparts. We will examine how various student groups debated ethics and made decisions about how to engage with the broader body politic. In this interactive honors seminar, we will be learning and discussing how world events shaped college students and how college students shaped the world around them.

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