History
HIS 190V Myths of California
The history of California has been shrouded in myths. The historian Richard White describes myths as "timeless stories that differ from history" and "are not so much falsehoods as explanations." This course studies the history of myths that have shaped how many people in California understand the past, including myths about the histories of Indigenous peoples, European explorers, Spanish missions, the Gold Rush, and different visions of "the California Dream." In the final assessment for the course, students use historical thinking to create a research paper to challenge a mythic representation of California history.
Instructor
Aims McGuinness