What defines an American? Is it the love of liberty, the pursuit of justice, the urge to invent, the desire for wealth, the drive to explore, the quest for spiritual values?
The paradox of the American identity is that although the United States is a melting pot of many different traditions, motives, and ideals, there are nevertheless distinctive qualities that define the American character.
In this course, historian Patrick N. Allitt investigates the national character by introducing you to notable Americans from all eras of the nation's history, whose lives speak eloquently about the qualities that make one truly American.
 Write a Review of American Identity
pgmd2, February 17, 2006
Reviewer: pgmd2
Professor Patrick Allit from Emory University explored what it really meant to be an American in the course entitled “American Identity”. He did this using well-known Americans from the areas of Education, Arts, and Science. Therefore, within this course, the identity of America was presented as illustrated in the lives of these well-known people.
The course was quite a long one and extensively covers the material. It takes you through the many hats that Americans have worn in the past. These many roles included such things as Abolitionists, Explorers, Humanitarians, and Athletes. The cast of historians that Professor Allit chose to cover is quite amazing. Names such as Louisa May Alcott, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford, Betty Freidan, and Jesse Jackson are all given equal attention with regard to how their contributions have shaped the United States of America.
Professor Allitt’s style of teaching was quite different. He presented the course as not just another history or sociology lesson, but rather he used the course to illustrate the diversity of America. The lectures he presented revealed how different ideas and roles have come together to form a nation.
As stated previously, this course was a long one and was spread over 24 tapes or audio CDs. This one was definitely worth listening to.
- Published:
2002
- Number Of Lectures:
48
- Lecture Time:
30 Min.
- University:
University of California at Berkeley
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
A006698
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Audio CD |
24 Discs |
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Cassette |
24 Tapes |
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DVD |
8 Discs |
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Video Cassette |
12 Tapes |
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Politics
U.S. Government
Politics
Political Philosophy
History
American History
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