HIST 275

The Wild West Myth and Reality

Designed to acquaint the student with the history of the American West, the course will topically examine and compare the often romanticized themes of early novels and Hollywood films with the harsh reality of frontier life. The topics that may be examined include the Spanish Southwest, the fur trapping mountain men, the Indians and the army, outlaws, the mining men, cattle, timber, and farming frontiers, and the introduction of capitalism and large scale industrialization.

Units: 3.0