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Fall
2002 Courses
This course will examine how American culture has evolved since the first contact between Europeans and Indians. We will examine inter-relationship between intellectual and economic change as well as the impact of ideas about race and gender on American social life. We will also consider the extent to which we should speak of a unified American culture or different American cultures. This course will use an interdisciplinary approach to study these issues, drawing on art, artifacts, literary texts and historical documents. Requirements are attendance at all sessions, two papers, a mid-term and final and participation in class discussion. * Students MUST also register for one discussion section. AMST
160.80 This course will provide students with the skills to interpret the cultural messages imbedded in our material surroundings. This vast subject area, generally referred to as material culture, is made up of all sorts of humanly created artifacts ranging from specific objects to vast landscapes. The things around us can be read as texts in ways that parallel the way we draw meaning from books and other written documentation. These tangible “texts” are particularly important as evidence of cultural values in view of the facts that 1) so few people actually leave good written records about their everyday experiences and 2) material goods seem to be an important factor in shaping the character of American life. Following an orientation to the principle modes of material culture analysis, the bulk of our class will consist of exercise in observing, recording, describing, and interpreting various classes of artifacts. Our list of prime targets will include various places (neighborhoods, work sites, waterfronts, parks, shopping malls, central business districts, etc.). We will be looking for what these spaces, places, structures and things might be telling us about their designers, makers, users, and consumers. Finally we will try to assemble these particular messages into a collective portrait of social life in the United States. In addition to task-oriented written assignments, there will be weekly readings either from books or articles on reserve. Students understanding of lectures and readings will be assessed by mid-term and final exams. AMST
167.80 This course will investigate media and culture in the U.S. from 1900 to the present. Looking at film, literature, television, and new media together, the class will address the major developments in U.S. cultural history: modernity and postmodernity; the impact of new technologies on culture; the importance of visual images in the 20th century; and debates about “high” and “low” culture. In the first half of the semester (1900-1945), topics range from amusement parks and silent film to the Harlem Renaissance and the Federal Theatre Project. In the second half (1945-2002), we will look at the rise of television, the Black Arts movement of the 1960s, postmodern literature, the emergence of the internet, and the global impact of American culture. Overall, questions to be considered will include: what is “culture”? Who owns and defines the term? How does culture get produced, disseminated and consumed? How do we analyze the political impact of cultural products? * Students MUST also register for one discussion section. AMST
167.85 This course examines the cultural work of American science fiction (SF). It asks how enthusiastic readers use popular fiction to represent and critique existing social relations. The course addresses the mechanic accents of the 1920’s and 1930’s and tracks the emergence of a consensus future in postwar science fiction and the various efforts made to dismantle it. We will look at science fiction in the 1890’s as a debate over the meaning of American history. AMST
168.10 This seminar introduces students to major methods for understanding and interpreting cultural materials. We will explore how and why culture particularly mass culture like film, music and television, is such a significant aspect of our lives. Different units in the course will examine 1) the institutions (corporations and individuals) that produce culture, 2) the ideological messages that circulate in cultural products and 3) how different audiences interpret the culture they consume. This course in writing-intensive and discussion oriented. American Studies majors by permission of instructor.
AMST 171.80 History 171 is a survey class in American Social History. It will study the lives of common working people in their struggle for survival and achievement from the earliest “pre-discovery” and “settlement” of North America to the Civil War. In the process we will draw upon the latest historical research and theories. We will investigate some of the most recent and promising research techniques and methods. Students will be encouraged to think like historians. This means more than memorizing lists of dates and names. It means developing the ability to think in historical and comparative perspective. We will be especially interested in the role of family, February 13, 2002work, class, race, ethnicity and gender as they helped to shape American society during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Our central purpose is to investigate the development of our contemporary ideas, problems, fears and dreams. In short, we hope to examine our collective ancestry and the historical roots of the things Americans now often think of as “common sense.” Most of all students will be exposed to some of the excitement and dynamics of today’s American historical profession. Learning is not a passive process; therefore this class will require the active participation of every student. In addition to required readings there will be a few field trips that will take students to the variety of research facilities which enrich the Washington, DC area and make it one of the best locations in the world in which to study American social history. * Students MUST also register for one discussion section. AMST
175.80 Examination of selected aspects of the built environment in the United States from the first period of European settlement to the eve of the Civil War. Stylistic properties, from type characteristics, technological developments, and urban patterns are introduced as vehicles for interpreting the historical significance of this legacy. Buildings are analyzed both as artifacts and signifiers of broader social, cultural, and economic tendencies. Other topics introduced include the role of designer, the influence of region, and architecture as an aspect of landscape. AMST
179.10 This course is designed for senior majors in American Studies. It will cover the required three credit internship experience and a weekly or biweekly meeting, to talk about the internship experiences, analyze how the internship organizations create and manipulate cultural messages to create American culture and be effective within the US political context. Students will also plan possible research topics for the major’s final semester research requirement. Some readings will be assigned, but as we are a reasonably small group, we will wait until the semester begins to see where students are interning and to decide on pertinent readings. This course will be graded according to the reports of the intern supervisors and participation in the practicum meetings. AMST
195.10 For undergraduate students only. AMST
198.10 This course introduces the student to the variety and breadth of American folk and ethic music. Its emphasis is upon twentieth century traditions, most notably blues, country and gospel, that resulted from the blending of African and European traditions. These uniquely American forms (along with Cajun, Hawaiian, and Tex-Mex styles) will be discussed in this course. This course is multidisciplinary and multi-media. I draw not only from ethnomusicology, but look at the subject from the perspectives of cultural geography, anthropology, folklore, and oral history. Many musical examples will be played and viewed in class and students will be required to attend one live musical performance. AMST
198.11 This course introduces you to the wealth of African American music found throughout the United States. This semester we’ll survey the important genres of music- blues, gospel, jazz, soul, and hip hop- that emerged in the twentieth century. In addition you will be introduced to go go- DC’s unique contribution to American culture! WE will accomplish this through a combination of readings, films, lectures, videotapes, and musical examples.
AMST 220.80 Please
contact the Women’s Studies Department for more information. This class is a survey of historical theories significant to feminist thought, such as liberalism, socialism, evolution, psychoanalysis, and gendered spheres of social action. How these theories were revived and revised by the Second Wave of feminism since the 1960’s. Brief examination of postmodernist and Third Wave feminist theorizing.
AMST 231.10 This course examines the history of American Studies and the development of theories and methods for the study of American culture since the 1830s. Readings will focus on major components of the field: literary history, ethnography, cultural history, material culture, popular culture, art and architectural history, cultural studies, and the internationalization of American Studies. Required of all MA candidates and first year PhD students without a Master’s degree in American Studies. A 10-15 page paper on a topic and/pr method raised by the semester’s readings and a 3-5 page book review for American Studies International are required. AMST
250.10 The purpose of this course is to use material culture in historical research. Material culture is a synthesis of theories and methods from art and architectural history, anthropology and archaeology, the history of technology, decorative arts, geography, and environmental history and cultural history. Students are required to write three short (7-10 page) research papers, read widely, and participate in class discussion. AMST
251.10 Internships and independent study at the Smithsonian. AMST
252.10 This seminar is an object-based study of a diverse range of goods from t-shirts to Tubberware to explore the politics of consumption in 20th century American daily life. Through a historical examination of museum objects, readings, and discussion, the class will engage in a debate at the center of consumer culture scholarship: what is the relationship between goods and the consumers who use them and what are the possibilities and limitations of consumption for promoting social change? Starting with a look back at the earlier revolutionary politics of “homespun” and anti-slavery material culture, this course will address the ways Americans in the past century have used goods to challenge labor and political systems; construct and contest race, class, and gender hierarchies; and express cultural identity. We will also consider the role of the government in shaping the market and meaning of goods from traditional crafts to modern appliances, and of public institutions in collecting and interpreting them. The process of exploring these objects will offer an unique perspective on major historical developments and issues, including in arts and crafts movement, the New Deal, civil rights, feminism, and globalization.
AMST 256.80 This course presents a survey of the intellectual history of the development of the academic field of folklore and folklife study in the United States. We will trace the rise of various theories of culture and modes of analysis and interpretation starting in the second half of the nineteenth century and concluding with contemporary times. The class will be conducted in semi-seminar fashion. The instructor will lecture for the first half of each class meeting with discussion being lead by a designated student or students for the second half. Student discussions will focus on the biographical profiles of key figures whose careers are emblematic of a particular interpretive technique or position. As can be seen from the syllabus, these individuals include many of the outstanding leaders in the fields of literature, social science, and museum work. AMST
271.80
AMST 277.80 Historic Preservation: Principles and Methods Longstreth AMST
280.10 This course is an in-depth thematic examination of the cultural landscape, focusing on field techniques for recording, analysis, and interpretation of historic properties. Work at the field sites will be supplemented by lectures, discussion and readings.
AMST 284.10 This reading seminar serves as an introduction to American visual studies, paying particular attention to the field’s theories and methods. Though a variety of historic principles will be considered, the course will be structured around an examination of different visual documents and the often divergent ways in which scholars have looked at them. The course is designed to provide graduate students with an introduction to some of the classic and primary and secondary sources in American visual studies. In the process of investigating these texts, we will address larger cultural issues, such as identity formation and cultural hierarchies in America. AMST
286.80 A multidisciplinary look at historic house museums, exploring concepts about home, methods of interpretation, and theories of history. Field trips to Washington historic houses as well as presentations by leading museum professionals. Selected readings on topics such as “Home and House Interpreted,” “Learning From Artifacts,” and “The Historic House Museum as History Text.” Short papers based on individual visits to recommended historic houses and other research as directed by instructor. AMST
289.10 AMST
289.11 This graduate lecture and discussion course will investigate media and culture in the US from 1900 to the present. Looking at film, literature, television, and new media together, the class will address the major developments in US cultural history: modernity and postmodernity; the impact of new technologies on culture; the importance of visual images in the 20th century; and debates about “high” and “low” culture. In the first half of the semester (1900-1945), topics range from amusement parks to silent film to the Harlem Renaissance and the Federal Theatre Project. In the second half (1945-2002), we will look at the rise of television, the Black Arts movement in the 1960s, postmodern literature, the emergence of the internet, and the global impact of American culture AMST
289.12 This graduate lecture and discussion course surveys American Social History. We will study the lives of common working people in their struggle for survival and achievement from the earliest “pre-discovery” and “settlement” of North America to the Civil War. In this process we will draw upon the latest historical research and theories. We will investigate some of the most recent and promising research techniques and methods. Students will develop the ability to think in historical and comparative perspective. We will be especially interested in the role of the family, work, class, race, ethnicity, and gender as they helped to shape American society during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Our central purpose is to investigate the development of our contemporary ideas, problems, fears and dreams. In short, we hope to examine our collective ancestry and the historical roots of the things Americans now think of as “common sense.” Most of all, students will be exposed to some of the excitement and dynamics of today’s American historical profession. This class will require the active participation of every student. In addition to the required readings there will be a few field trips that will take students to the variety of research facilities which enrich the Washington, DC area and make it one of the best locations in the world in which to study American social history. AMST
289.81
AMST 295.10 Open to American Studies MA candidates only AMST
299.10 Open to American Studies MA candidates only. AMST
300.10 Open to American Studies doctoral candidates only. AMST
394.10 Open to American Studies doctoral candidates only. AMST
395.10 Open to American Studies doctoral candidates only. AMST
398.10 Open to American Studies doctoral candidates only. AMST
399.10 Open
to American Studies doctoral candidates only.
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