Curriculum Information

Frontiers are frequently seen as the boundary between modernity and more archaic forms of social organization. The American West provides the classic example. This module examines the distinguishing features, functions and key themes in the history of a range of frontiers throughout time and space. The subjects and themes of the module include: the defining characteristics of a frontier; the appropriateness of the term ‘frontier’; the social characteristics of frontier regions; the economic functions of frontiers; life at the frontier; why frontiers were populated and expanded; the environmental impact of frontier settling; the status of the American West as an exceptional frontier experience; and the theoretical ways in which frontiers might be understood.