Podcasting :: Introduction to U.S. History 1865-2005

Introduction to the History of the United States, 1865-2005, is the basic introductory class for 20th century American history at UC Berkeley, making these lectures a good starting point for those interested in modern U.S. history. There are 39 lectures of about 50 minutes each.

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With an enrollment that usually tops 500 students, "History 7b," as Cal students call the course, is the history department’s largest class and one of the largest at the university.  It is a pre-requisite for several different majors, including history, political science, and mass communications. It also fulfills the university’s American Cultures requirement. For this reason, I emphasize the historical experience of African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans as well as how ideas about race have been constructed and used throughout history.

The course is geared to non-majors and assumes little prior knowledge of American history. For this reason, I keep the lectures basic and also try to cover a little bit of everything over the 40-odd sessions. As I tell my students, view this class as a survey and overview, rather than the last word! My hope is that a topic I cover briefly will capture your interest, inspiring you to more in-depth learning and understanding.

These lectures are not edited, revised, peer reviewed, or even rehearsed – what you are hearing is the raw version delivered in real-time, for the first time.  Click here for an "errata" file of known errors.