John Barnaski

Winter 2008 Courses:

• History 281R: Survey of US History, 1877-Present
  T 6:00--9:00 p.m.
  Tired of the same old dates, facts and historical cliches? History 281 is for you! We will look at the major issues since 1877 and ask the big questions: Who were the Wobblies and why did they sing so much? How did Franklin Delano Roosevelt save capitalism? Why did the U.S. government drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Why did we "lose" the war in Vietnam? Was it Reagan or Soviet Premier Gorbachev who really ended the Cold War? How can we understand, istorically, the debates between liberals and conservatives? In this class, we will practice the art of historical detection, enter into the debates that defined our national history, and read about the ordinary men and women who played a part in defining our country. You will discover that history is far more interesting and complicated, the players more diverse and more human, than you ever imagined.
  
   
• History 332: Women in American History
  Also counts as GWS 332 (credit given only for one of these courses)
  TR 10:10 a.m.--12:10 p.m.
  An analysis of women's experience from the colonial period to the present, this course focuses on the way gender has been defined and redefined. The course considers such issues as work, friendship and marriage, reproduction, the struggles for equality, and women's culture. The influence of class, race, sexuality and ethnicity on women's experiences will also be considered within the larger context of major events and developments in U.S. history.
  
  
• History 333: America Since 1945
  TR  2:30--4:30 p.m.
  This course explores the individuals, social movements and forces that have shaped America since the end of World War II. Topics include: the history of the Cold War from the dropping of the atomic bomb and the war in Vietnam to the fall of the Soviet Union; affluence and poverty; work and the economy; social movements and countercultures; the rise of the New Right and national debates over the proper role of government; and foreign policy in the post Cold War ear.
  
  

Previously taught courses

• History 318C: Emergence of Modern America
  This course will cover the key debates, issues, and social movements that forged Modern U.S. politics and society. Topics will include the Populist and Progressive movements, World War I, the cultural tumult of the 1920s, the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II. At the Center of these events and developments, we will examine how the U.S. went from being a largely agricultural and rural nation to being a global superpower. We will also examine the ways ordinary people banded together to bring ideas and goals of freedom, equality, and democracy into their workplaces, neighborhoods, communities, and nation.
  
  
• History 331: Politics of Poverty in U.S.
  TR 2:30--4:30 p.m., in Berndt 310
  "Poverty has always been with us," it is often said. How and why poverty has persisted in the United States will be the focus of this course. We will ask the following questions: How, amidst progress and plenty, can poverty exist? What, if any, is the role of government to end poverty? Who is responsible for poverty? What is a community's role in finding a solution to this problem? The ideas, public and private policies, and social movements that have attempted to address these key questions, from the colonial period to the present, will drive the readings, discussions, and lectures of this course.
  
  
  
• History 390: Work and Workers in the US
  This course explores the history of work and working people--men and women, paid and unpaid, white and non-white--from the Early Republic to the present. At times, we will compare what happened in the United States with the histories of workeres in other parts of the world, particularly the Americas, Europe, and Africa. We will examine how new technologies have altered work, how the state and employers compel workers to labor, and how the labor movement has been a force for both democracy and the preservation of traditional hierarchies.
  
  
• History 485: Advance Studies in US History
  
  
• History 496: Research Senior Seminar
  Co-taught with Dr. Michael Fry
  In this course, students produce an original historical research project based on skills acquired and preparations made in History 396. The Research Senior Seminar is a capstone course. At the end of the term, each student will have a thoughtfully written and carefully polished Senior Thesis (sophisticated, historical research paper). In addition, each student will share the thesis and central arguments/ideas of their research in a public presentation and defense.
  Prerequisite: History 396

CURRICULUM VITAE

    A curriculum vitae is a resume of an individual's work. My curriculum vitae [pdf format or html format] includes a listing of my educational and work experience as it relates to my professional career here at Fort Lewis College.