This course explores the history of Seattle and the surrounding area. It is unique in that it incorporates the History Department’s annual public lecture series into a seminar or colloquium-style class. The Winter 2024 lecture series bears the title Seattle and the Salish Sea: Building and Belonging. While the five talks will focus on disparate topics, one underlying theme is how different groups in the population, particularly Indigenous peoples, diverse immigrants, and peoples of color, “experienced” or identified with Seattle and the Puget Sound area. Another lecture focuses on which groups did and did not possess U.S. citizenship as a means of considering who was able to exert political power at particular points.
The five public lectures occur on Wednesday evenings, and the class meets the next day--Thursday afternoons--to discuss the week’s lecture along with some supplemental readings (one or two articles per week). The class counts for 2 credits and is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis. Grades are based on two brief papers (1-2 paragraphs each), a longer paper (2-3 pages), and participation in discussions. The public lectures run from Jan. 10 to Feb. 7, 2024, after which the course winds down fairly quickly.