The word institution has many meanings. In sociology, it means a large-scale arrangement created and maintained to serve the needs of society. The criminal justice system is one example. Another is marriage. In political science, institutions are the organizations that generate economic and social policy and mediate conflicts. The courts are an example; trade unions are another. In history, institutions are what shaped political, economic, and social outcomes in the past. One example is slavery. Another is the civil rights movement.
This course uses these different yet often overlapping meanings of institutions to examine the American experience. In many cases the American experience is a shared one, yet in many cases the experiences of particular groups of people are distinctly different from those of others. Some Americans had to fight for their freedom. Some had to fight to be recognized as U.S. citizens. Women had to fight to be able to vote and to enter into contracts without their husbands permission. Some Americans had to fight to marry a person of another race or of the same gender. Others had to fight for a living wage. Some Americans accused of crimes had to fight to ensure that their rights were protected. Many of these fights occurred in courtrooms. This course uses summaries of important court decisions that were both shaped by, and helped to shape, the American institutions we have today. It also uses writings and speeches by individuals whose efforts made them key figures in their respective movements.
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