Übung, Kurs Neuere und Neueste Geschichte American Pathways: Travel and Transport in the United States, 1815–2015 Dr. Wilfried Mausbach Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) Anmeldung: per Email an [email protected] Veranstaltungstermine: Montag 14:15–15:45 Uhr HCA, Oculus (R.120) Beginn: erste Woche Zuordnung: Epochendisziplin: Neuere Geschichte (1500-1900) (NG), Neueste Geschichte (ab 1900) (NNG) Sach- und Regionaldisziplin: Amerikanische Geschichte (AmG) Veranstaltungstyp/Modul (ECTS-Leistungspunkte): Quellenübung/B.A. Basismodul (3); LA Basismodul (3) B.A.-Studiengänge neu ab WS 2015/16: Quellenübung/B.A. Modul Theorie und Methode (2 LP), B.A. (25%) Vertiefungsmodul I (2 LP) Kommentar: America has always been a nation on the move. In this course we will look at the waxing and waning of travel options for Americans. From nineteenth-century public roads, canals and rails to twentieth-century superhighways and Amtrak’s intercity rail service, we will examine the plans of policymakers, the undertakings of individual entrepreneurs, and the experiences of ordinary people in motion. We will pay attention not only to long-distance travel, however, but also to urban transportation and to the consequences that industrialization, de-industrialization, and postindustrial developments entailed both for these means of transportation and, in turn, for the social and cultural life of commuters and communities. This course is also designed to serve as preparation for a major excursion to the Rust Belt of the United States in September 2016, organized by the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) and the Institute for Geography. Participants who plan to take part in the excursion will be required to attend a preparatory meeting in late January/early February. In addition, it is highly recommended that they also enroll in the upper level course (Hauptseminar) “Der US-amerikanische Rustbelt im Wandel. Stadt- und kulturgeographische Einblicke von Milwaukee bis Washington, D.C.,“ (Prof. Dr. Ulrike Gerhard/Dr. Gregg Culver; Tuesdays 2-4 p.m.; [email protected]). Zu diesem Kurs wird es ein semesterbegleitendes Online-Angebot geben. Literatur: William L. Garrison and David M. Levinson, The Transportation Experience, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014); Robert J. Dilger, American Transportation Policy (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2003); William L. Richter, The ABC-Clio Companion to Transportation in America (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio, 1995). 168