Americans in the USSR

This Sophomore Seminar will investigate the countless American journalists, diplomats, students, tourists, athletes, musicians, etc. who traveled to the Soviet Union. We will pay careful attention to their preconceptions, motivations, experiences, and reflections after the fact. Some went for work, others to explore an alternative to capitalism or to build socialism, and still others traveled to explore a society that claimed to have overcome discrimination based race and gender. At the end of the semester, students will work on final projects in which they delve more deeply into a specific aspect of the topic.