Through the study of Douglass’s and Whitman’s work and biographies, students understand major concerns of the nineteenth century, including enslavement and abolitionism; shifting ideas about gender and sexuality; the possibilities and limitations of American ideals like freedom, equality, and self-reliance; and the role of narrative, oratory, and poetry in the formation of national culture.

Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives
Knowledge, Identity, and Power
Course UID
006650.1
Course Subject
Catalog Number
344
Long title
American Visionaries: Frederick Douglass and Walt Whitman