This combined US History/American Literature and Writing course is a team-‐taught, two-‐period, yearlong study of the events, ideas and cultural movements that have shaped Americans and the United States in the twentieth century. The key question students address and the course explores in depth is, What does it mean to be an American in the twenty-‐first century? Students read a wide variety of literature, including traditional forms (fiction, nonfiction, drama and poetry) as well as historical documents and critical essays. The two instructors, one English and the other Social Studies, will guide students through a variety of learning activities with an emphasis on team learning through collaboration and cooperation.