***NEW COURSE COMING***

Spring 2026

The Big Picture: U.S. History through Iconic Photographs

Since photography arrived in the United States in 1839, it has been essential for documenting, defining, understanding, and even making history. In this course, we will zero in on iconic photographs associated with particular moments in U.S. history, images such as Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” and Black Panther Huey Newton’s “Peacock Chair” publicity photograph. We will use these photos as primary sources that hold information useful to understanding the past, and analyze them as representations of the past that sometimes frustrate historical understanding. Using a case-study format, we will explore topics such as Progressivism, Jim Crow, the Depression, World War II, BIPOC social movements, the Vietnam War, and the AIDS crisis. Our images will include studio portraits, government-produced propaganda, and photographs of disasters, war, and protests.