410P The American Conception Of Evil: Historical And Cultural Contexts (3)
This interdisciplinary course may focus on time periods in American history
where the concept of evil has played a crucial role in determining public
attitudes and policy, as well as the Western European roots of those attitudes.
The course may focus on several broad time periods and topics: Western Europe
before Columbus and during the initial years of contact between Europeans and
Native Americans; Puritan New England, including the Salem witch trials;
indentured servitude and slavery among Africans and other racial minorities;
the Progressive Era; World War II, especially the experiences of American
liberators of the conentration camps, the Japanese American internment
experience, and the decision to use the atomic bomb; and Post WWII, especially
the Cold War, the Vietnam War, 9/11, and contemporary hate groups.