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In this interdisciplinary course we will explore the transformations marking the cultural history of New York City from its beginnings through the ‘Roaring Twenties.' Starting out as “Mannahatta,” a bountiful Native American hunting, fishing and camping ground, the island at the mouth of the Hudson River has gone from the small commercial venture of Dutch New Amsterdam to the rough and tumble politics of British colonial New York, and its brief role as federal capital of the United States, to its more enduring role as capital of "The Empire State" and the "capital of capitalism". We'll look closely at Five Points and "The Gangs of New York," the Draft Riots, the era of Ellis Island and immigration, the culture of Irish New York, Yiddish New York, and Italian New York, at Greenwich Village when it really was bohemian, Black Harlem when it really was in vogue. We'll focus on the artists, writers, musicians and architects who have given shape and expression to the city, spending time with such figures as Edith Wharton, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, and E. L. Doctorow. Two overnight field trips to New York City will be programmed into the course.The actual weekends will be posted soon for the overnight field trips.