HIST 173 Baseball and American History

3 Credit(s)

This course will focus on the history of baseball from its murky origins in the late 18th and early 19th centuries down through the era of expansion, free agency, and steroids in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The course will discuss the changes in baseball over time; the evolution of the game’s rules; famous players, teams, and games; and the impact of baseball on American culture. Throughout the semester, the course will put that discussion of baseball into the larger context of American history. By studying the history of baseball, students will also learn about broader economic, social, and cultural themes in U.S. history, such as the struggles between labor and capital; the effects of urbanization and industrialization; notions of gender and masculinity; the impact of leisure and entertainment; demographic changes such as immigration and geographic shifts in population; the legacy of racial segregation; and the impact of globalization on society.