POLS 023. Slavery and Its Legacy for U.S. Politics (AP)

This course examines the legacy of slavery for American political institutions and U.S. politics. Substantively, we will explore the signicance of slavery for American statebuilding over time, beginning with the founding period and the antebellum era and stretching all the way to today’s political landscape. We will discuss both the legacy of slavery for American political institutions and processes but also its persistent impact on political attitudes, participation, and public opinion over time.

This is an upper-class course with a unique set-up. In addition to the traditional seminar-style discussion of substantive readings, the course includes a lab component that allows students to gain applied research experience. The lab component is designed to guide students through the typical process of conducting independent political science research: from finding a research question to identifying a suitable research design to collecting and managing data. Weekly meetings will consist of two-thirds substantive discussion and one-third lab activities.

As part of the lab component of the class, students will be asked to help with the data collection for a field project on remembrance culture in the United States that is part of Swarthmore’s new Historical Political Economy (HPE) Lab (www.hpe-lab.com). Research activities will be complemented with educational events and meetings (e.g., museum visits, conversations with local historians and community leaders) on topics related to the aftermath of slavery, the Civil War, and their meaning for U.S. politics and society today.
Social sciences.
1 credit.
Spring 2025. Schwarz.
Catalog chapter: Political Science
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science

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