This class offers an overview of key moments and concepts in American (cultural) history from the end of the American Civil War in 1865 until the inauguration of Joe Biden as 46th President of the United States in 2021 and the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. In the course of the semester, we will approach major historical events, political developments, and ideological concepts by means of different cultural texts and, ultimately, we will try to make sense of what is meant by the very term “America” – a term that becomes more elusive the closer we scrutinize it.