The Charm of Anticipated Sucess: Varieties of the American Dream in U.S. History

The American Dream is one of the great myths of our national history-not "myth" in the sense of a falsehood, but rather a widely-held belief whose validity cannot be definitively proved or disproved (like "all men are created equal"). Using sermons, fiction, songs, and other cultural forms, this research seminar explores the complexities of the myth from the time of the Puritans to the present. Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors.