HIST 415 - The Automobile and the Making of Modern America

When Offered: F, S, SS

3 Credit(s)
3 Lecture Hour(s)
0 Lab Hour(s)

No country on earth has embraced the automobile as thoroughly as the United States. This course analyzes the reasons for the American love affair with the car and the impact of automobility on American society and culture from the early twentieth century to the present. Topics discussed include the advent of mass production as pioneered by Henry Ford, the transformation of the American landscape to meet the needs of the car, the growth of big labor, the rise of consumer culture, the car as a cultural icon, environmental problems created by unchecked automobile use, the Japanese challenge to American industrial practices, and current efforts to reinvent the car to meet the needs of the future.

Prerequisite(s): HIST 205, HIST 220, or permission of the instructor.