Course Number:

Credit Hours:

4

Course Title:

History of the American Home

Course Description:

Examines the material culture of Americans’ homes from the settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 to the present. Food customs, gender roles and distinctions, rituals, and the history of the American family are uncovered in the artifacts and architecture of ordinary Americans. Offers the opportunity for students to see-rather than merely look at-their own material surroundings. Uses slides and other visual materials extensively. Offers analysis from several disciplines (social history, archaeology, art history, and architectural history), and how these disciplines can be integrated in the study of American society and customs. The primary evidence used in this course is material: housing, the landscape, and the artifacts of everyday life of Americans of all classes.