Washington State’s local governance system was forged during the last great mass democratic movement of our nation’s history – the Progressive Era. The cultural, economic and political forces that informed our state’s creation and development provide insight into how social movements develop and what factors contribute to their success and failure. Using Lawrence Goodwyn's The Populist Moment as a primary text, students will also engage in primary source research of events that occured during this period in Washington state. Class sessions will be interactive, combining presentations by the instructor and guests with seminar style discussions.  Students will weekly complete one page seminar response papers based on the assigned reading and complete one short 3 to 5 page research paper. Learning objectives will focus on developing student's critical thinking and writing skills.