HIS 370 History of Alcohol and Drugs in American Life

Fall/Spring

This course analyzes how alcohol and drugs have shaped American cultural and political life from colonial times to the present. Considering a range of issues including the role of taverns in the American Revolution, the gender dynamics that promoted Prohibition, drugs in the 60s counterculture, and the recent urban crack-cocaine epidemic, this course treats the study of American substance use, abuse, and regulation as a vital window into the evolution of American society. Recognizing the diverse meanings attached to alcohol, and later, illicit drugs, by users, purveyors, and opponents, this course challenges students to better understand the history of American sociocultural development.

3 credit hours