American Studies (AMST)
Director: Professor Michael J. Kowalewski, Associate Director: Associate Professor Richard Keiser
Emeritus Professor: Robert Bonner
Visiting Lecturer: Susan Robeson
Committee Members: Sharon Akimoto, Barbara Allen, Deborah Appleman, Nancy J. Cho, Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Anna Rachel Igra, Kirk Jeffrey, Richard A. Keiser, Jerome M. Levi, Jennifer C. Manion, Michael McNally, Beverly Nagel, Kofi Owusu, Ronald W. Rodman, John Schott, Robert E. Tisdale, Jenny Bourne Wahl, Harry M. Williams
This program is designed to encourage and support the interdisciplinary study of American culture. It draws upon the expertise of faculty in various disciplines and strives to understand the institutions, values, and beliefs that have shaped the experiences of U.S. residents. Recognizing the diverse and pluralistic nature of our society, the American Studies program enables the student to construct an interdisciplinary major around topics of the student's own choice such as urban studies, ethnicity, media, religion, gender roles, environmental thought or some other aspect of the American experience. The program supports interdisciplinary courses taught by Carleton faculty and it brings to campus nationally known visiting artists and scholars under the auspices of the Fred C. Andersen Foundation.
Requirements for a Major:
American Studies is an interdisciplinary major which a student constructs for himself or herself from offerings in two or more departments of instruction. To major in American Studies students must fill out an application form that can be obtained in the American Studies office in Goodsell Hall. The form asks the student to specify the general topic or focus of the major, to identify the disciplines which will constitute the support of his/her major, and to secure the signatures of two faculty, one from each of the supporting disciplines, who will agree to supervise the program.
Majors must complete 66 credits (eleven courses) in the following general areas:
I. Core Courses: Each student must complete all four of these:
AMST 115: Introduction to American Studies
AMST 345: Methods in American Studies
AMST 396: Senior Seminar in American Studies
AMST 400: Colloquium and Integrative Exercise in American Studies
II. Survey Courses: Students must take three survey courses. Two of these three survey courses should be part of a two-term sequence in one department. The third survey course should be a one term course in a different department.
Two-term survey courses:
HIST 120-121: American Social History
HIST 220-221: African American History I and II
HIST 222-223: U.S. Women's History
One-term survey courses:
ARTH 160: American Art to 1940 (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ECON 232: American Economic History (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ENGL 112: Introduction to American Literature
POSC 122: Politics in America: Liberty and Equality
RELG 140: Religion and American Culture
III. Topical Courses: Each student must take four courses that deal with elements of the American experience that he/she has determined are central to his/her particular major. Courses that will fulfill this requirement are listed under American Studies in this catalog. In order that majors acquire the skills necessary to function independently, one of these courses must be sufficiently advanced within its discipline to carry a research component or its equivalent.
American Studies Courses
AMST 112. Introduction to American Literature Cross-listed with ENGL 112. American literature to 1914 with an emphasis on the periods of Romanticism and Realism. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall,Winter,Spring—N. Cho, M. Kowalewski, G. Smith, S. Wadsworth
AMST 113. Frontiers in Early America Cross-listed with HIST 119. This introduction to colonial American history will consider the frontier as both place and metaphor in order to understand this period. More than a simple geographic line, the early American frontier was also a zone of racial, gender, economic, and military interactions between peoples, empires, and cultures. Through the idea of the frontier, this class will explore the wide range of ideologies and experiences in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century North America. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 114. The Hollywood Film Musical Cross-listed with MUSC 116,MEDA 116. A survey of the film musical. This course will trace the history of the film musical from its inception with the coming of sound through the big-budget MGM productions of the 50s to its decline after the break-up of the studio system. Emphasis will be placed on identifying structural features that distinguish the various types of film musicals. Other topics include the status of women in these films, the role of music, whether the genre is socially progressive or regressive, and the so-called "self-reflective" musical—films such as Singin' in the Rain, whose subject is the musical. One screening per week. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 115. Introduction to American Studies: Growing Up American Our introductory course is a team-taught and comparative look at a significant topic in the formation of American culture. Faculty from any of the disciplines that support American Studies will come together to pool their talents and experience to deal with such topics as the role of immigration and migration in America, or ways different strains in American culture have thought of and worked upon space and place. This year the introductory course will be titled Growing Up American. Taught by specialists in History and Literature, the course will look at the formation of identity in American culture, examining how the experience of growing up in the United States — especially in the adolescent years — reflects and constructs American values. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter,Spring—M. Kowalewski, Staff, R. Tisdale
AMST 115. Place, Power & Identity in America An interdisciplinary exploration of how "place" shapes the people, cultures, and institutions of the United States. We will work to understand the connections between various disciplines - literature, history, art, music, ethnic studies, geography, urban planning, economics, and religion - as they pertain to the study of individual American places, from points of Native-European contact to contemporary urban environments. We will also explore the extent to which larger national and global forces now impinge on local places and help define power and identity in America. 6 cr., HU, Winter—M. Kowalewski
AMST 116. Music and the Media Cross-listed with MUSC 115,MEDA 115. A survey of the role of music and sound in the media of film, radio and television. Primary topics for discussion include the history and conventions of musical composition for radio, television narrative, MTV, television and radio commercials, narrative film and the Hollywood film musical. Additional topics for consideration include musical style, musical semiotics, and music as a postmodern commodity. No prerequisites. Music reading may be helpful, but not necessary to take the course. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 117. African American Literature Cross-listed with AFAM 117,ENGL 117. This course provides an overview of African American literature. We will pay particular attention to the tradition of African American literary expression and the individual talent that brings depth and diversity to that tradition. Authors to be read include Baldwin, Baraka, Brooks, Ed Bullins, Douglass, Du Bois, Dunbar, Nikki Giovanni, Hayden, Hughes, Weldon Johnson, Locke, McKay, Morrison, Toomer, Wheatley, and Wilson. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—K. Owusu
AMST 123. Politics in America: Liberty and Equality Cross-listed with POSC 122. An introduction to American government and politics. Focus on the Congress, Presidency, political parties and interest groups, the courts and the Constitution. Particular attention will be given to the public policy debates that divide liberals and conservatives and how these divisions are rooted in American political culture. 6 credits cr., SS, Fall,Winter,Spring—B. Johnson, R. Keiser, S. Schier
AMST 130. The History of Jazz Cross-listed with AFAM 130,MUSC 130. A survey of jazz from its beginnings to the present day focusing on the performer/composers and their music. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Spring—S. Kelly
AMST 131. From the Delta to Memphis Cross-listed with AFAM 131,MUSC 131. A history of the Delta blues and its influence on later blues and popular music styles, tracing its movement from the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s to Elvis Presley and early rock and roll in the mid 1950s, including the classic blues singers of the 1920s, the development of the Chicago Blues and issues of authenticity and "ownership" of both the music and its cultural legacy. The course involves readings, listening assignments, and some transcriptions of early recorded blues. No prerequisite, although the ability to read music is helpful. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 133. Bluegrass and Country-Western Music Cross-listed with MUSC 133. An historical survey from the turn of the century to the early 1960s. Examination of the common roots of Bluegrass and Country-Western music and the various factors which lead to the separation of the two idioms. Emphasis on important trends and influential performers. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 136. Traditional Appalachian Music Cross-listed with MUSC 135. A study of the oral-tradition folk music of the southern Appalachian mountains and its significance in the culture and history of the region. Three related bodies of music will be examined: Ballads, Hymns and Religious Songs, and Instrumental Music. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 137. Spiritual Hymns and Gospel Music: Aspects of African-American Music Traditions Cross-listed with AFAM 137,MUSC 137. The survey of African-American hymns, spirituals and gospel music in the worship service and on the concert stage. The course of study will place the music and its creators within the historical, social, and cultural contexts of life in the United States, from the earliest days to the present. This framework will provide an appreciation for how the music tells the story of African-Americans, how the music affects audiences throughout the world, and how the traditions influence other musical expressions. The approach of the study is performance based with particular attention to the simularities and differences of musical forms, styles and performance practices of western art music. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Winter—L. Burnett
AMST 140. Religion and American Culture Cross-listed with RELG 140. This course explores the colorful, contested history of religion in American culture. While surveying the main contours of religion in the U.S. from the colonial era to the present, the course concentrates on a series of historical moments that reveal tensions between a quest for a (Protestant) American consensus and an abiding religious and cultural pluralism. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—M. McNally
AMST 152. Historical and Compartive Perspectives on Higher Education Cross-listed with EDUC 152. This course will provide a broad introduction to the history, structure and functions of higher education in Western society, with special attention to the forms it has taken in America. After a brief introduction to the origins of universities as we know them, the course will review the evolution of colleges and universities in Colonial America and the United States. The treatment will be comparative and historical, centering on the peculiar characteristics of American higher education -- its size and diversity, its mixture of public and private sources of support, its responsiveness and resistance to market forces of all kinds, and its central role in our economic, social and political life. 3 cr., HU, Spring—M. Trow
AMST 160. American Art to 1940 Cross-listed with ARTH 160. Concentration on painting of the colonial period (especially portraiture) and nineteenth century (especially landscape and scenes of everyday life) with an introduction to the modernism of the early twentieth century. The course will include analysis of the ways art shapes and reflects cultural attitudes such as those concerning race and gender. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 190. Technology in American History Cross-listed with HIST 190,ENTS 190. What is technology? Why study its history? Is technology fundamentally different in modern times than it was in earlier periods of human history? How does technological change occur? Is technology out of control or is it subject to human shaping and direction? This course will investigate such questions using examples from throughout human history and from several different civilizations. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 200. The Zen of Asian and Western Woodworking Cross-listed with HIST 200. This course will contrast traditional Chinese and Japanese philosophies of woodworking to those used in England and the U.S. through readings, museum visits, and hands-on projects in the woodshop. The focus will be on the history of the design and construction of furniture using traditional hand tools. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of Ming Dynasty furniture design on the furniture constructed in colonial America. We will also explore some of the complexities of cultural borrowing and cultural difference. Students will be responsible both for writing essays and for completing several small projects made out of wood. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 204. Media and American Politics: Special Election Edition Cross-listed with POSC 204,MEDA 204. Our analysis of media influences on politics will draw from three fields of study: political psychology, political behavior and participation, and public opinion. This year we will focus on media and politics by following the role of media in election 2000. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 205. Congress and the Presidency Cross-listed with POSC 205. An examination of institutional behavior and policy consequences in the Congress and Presidency. Particular attention is devoted to the politics of each institution, and the policy possibilities encouraged and restricted by such politics. A simulation of legislative-executive policy making will be conducted in order to explore these themes. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 206. The American Courts Cross-listed with POSC 206. We will explore the political and institutional dimensions of courts, and consider whether and how judicial decision making differs from political decision making. Topics will include legal reasoning and the role of the judge, the institutional capacity of courts and their relation to the political branches, and the role of lawyers in the political system. 6 credits cr., SS, Fall—K. Smith
AMST 207. Urban Politics Cross-listed with AFAM 207,POSC 207. An introduction to the politics of large cities with a focus on one or a few specific cities. We will examine the functional logic and electoral success of machine politics as well as successful and coopted attempts at reform in machine cities. We will also examine how race and class have created new cleavages in the partisan structure of urban politics. Finally, we will study the fiscal problems of contemporary cities and examine the intergovernmental constraints on cities 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 210. Chicana Politics and Public Policy Cross-listed with POSC 223,WGST 248. Cross-listed to AMST 210 and WGST 248. In this class, we will explore the ways in which Chicanas and other Women of Color as well as White working-class women express, shape, and give meaning to political activism and public policy at the local, state, and national levels. We will spend time examining the lives of women who struggle for progressive social change for their families, communities, workplaces, and other social, political, and economic arenas. Using a comparative interdisciplinary approach, we will learn about individuals who have fought for change at various levels and how their experiences reflect and/or diverge from those of other activists. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—S. Navarro
AMST 212. The American Revolution Cross-listed with HIST 212. This class will examine the American Revolution as both a process and a phenomenon. It will consider the relationship of the American Revolution to social, cultural, economic, political, and ideological change in the lives of Americans from the founding fathers to the disenfranchised, focusing on the period 1750-1800. The central question of the course is this: how revolutionary was the Revolution? Students without a solid grounding in early American history should read Edmund S. Morgan, The Birth of the Republic (Chicago: 1993), before the first class. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 213. History, Memory, and the Vietnam War Cross-listed with HIST 218. What is the difference between history and memory of past events? Do members of different generations remember historical events differently? In this course we will first examine the political, diplomatic, and military events of the Vietnam War, then look at oral histories and memoirs as historical sources about the war. Students will then put their knowledge about oral history into practice by taking oral histories from elderly residents of Northfield. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 214. The Civil War Era Cross-listed with HIST 214. This course will examine the American Civil War as a defining moment in this country's history. We will study the years leading up to the war as well as the Reconstruction period following it, and trace such themes as the definitions of citizenship to freedom; the role of the federal government and race relations. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—K. Jeffrey
AMST 216. Films of Frank Capra Cross-listed with MEDA 223. A Sicilian immigrant, Capra became Hollywood's voice for the American Dream. His Oscar-winning films (It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, and It's a Wonderful Life) proclaim Capra's concept of libertarian America. Capra scorned political propaganda, yet today his comedies still seduce viewers into believing we can all be "ordinary" heroes. In this course we will work toward understanding the ideology embedded in his major films. 3 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 217. From Ragtime to Football, U.S. History in the 1890's Cross-listed with HIST 217. The 1890s were a period of turmoil. From the closing of the frontier West to the debates over imperialism, immigrants, ragtime music, and football, Americans tried to come to terms with the changing standards and social relationships of the modern world. Using original sources from the period, this course will explore the various debates over war, women's roles, sports, art, music, politics, and popular culture in the 1890s. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 218. Postwar U.S.: 1945-1975 Cross-listed with HIST 219. Major events of American history from 1945 to the mid-1970s, including the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, Watergate, and the first energy crisis. Some attention to popular images of American life in the 1950s and 1960s. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 219. Introduction to Latino(a) Politics Cross-listed with POSC 222,LTAM 222. Cross-listed to AMST 219 and LTAM 222. A survey course on the historical, economic, and socio-political dimensions of the Latino (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) experience in the US. As the second largest ethnic minority group in this country, the experiences and challenges facing Latinos are valuable in providing a more complete understanding of American society, history and institutions. We will explore the rich diversity of Latino community life, including social history, migration and urbanization, ethnic culture, labor and employment, neighborhood formation and residential segregation, economic inequality and poverty, gender and the family, political organization and mobilization, and several public policy issues confronting the Latino community. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—S. Navarro
AMST 220. African American History I Cross-listed with AFAM 220,HIST 220. The transition of the slave from an African to an African-American either directly or indirectly through the institution of slavery until 1865. Special attention will be given to individuals, organizations, and philosophies proposing solutions to the African- and Euro-American dilemma. Previous knowledge of American history is desirable. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 221. African American History II Cross-listed with AFAM 221,HIST 221. The transition of the African-American from slave to citizen through the development of freedom in industrial and post-industrial America since 1865. Special attention will be given to individuals, organizations and philosophies proposing solutions to the African- and Euro-American dilemma. Previous knowledge of American history is desirable. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—H. Williams
AMST 222. U.S. Women's History to 1900 Cross-listed with HIST 222,WGST 222. Gender, race, and class shaped women's participation in the arenas of work, family life, culture, and politics in the U.S. from the colonial period to the late nineteenth century. We will examine diverse women's experiences of colonization, industrialization, slavery and Reconstruction, religion, sexuality and reproduction, and social reform. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining major frameworks and debates in the field of women's history. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—A. Igra
AMST 223. U.S. Women's History Since 1900 Cross-listed with HIST 223,WGST 223. In the twentieth century women participated in the redefinition of politics and the state, sexuality and family life, and work and leisure as the U.S. became a modern, largely urban society. We will explore how the dimensions of race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality shaped diverse women's experiences of these historical changes. Topics will include: immigration, the expansion of the welfare system and the consumer economy, labor force segmentation and the world wars, and women's activism in civil rights, labor, peace and feminist movements. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—A. Igra
AMST 224. Class, Power, and Inequality in America Cross-listed with SOAN 220. The processes, structures, and functions of stratification in advanced capitalist societies. Marxist, neomarxist, Weberian, and functionalist models of class analysis; theories of status attainment and mobility; the relationship between class, gender, and ethnicity; the relation of education to status attainment; class and socialization; models of justice and rationality; and the global stratification system. Prerequisite: Sociology 111 or consent of the instructor. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 225. Readings in American Politics Cross-listed with POSC 225. In this course, we will study and discuss important recent books on American politics. The books will cover topics including Congress, the presidency, electoral politics, the media, political participation, race and ethnicity and generational politics. 3 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 226. American Environmental Thought Cross-listed with POSC 257,ENTS 225. The development of American thinking about nature and humanity's relationship to it covering from the nineteenth century to the present. Representative figures include Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and Barry Commoner. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—K. Smith
AMST 227. History of the American West Cross-listed with HIST 227,ENTS 227. This course treats the history of a distinctive region, the arid section of the United States between the 100th Meridian and the Sierra Nevada, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will study cultural interactions among the indigenous populations and the Euro-American immigrants, the development in the area of institutions and economic systems characteristic of European civilization, and the political and environmental consequences of those developments. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 228. American Indian History: Removal to Present Cross-listed with HIST 228. This course is a survey of American Indian history ranging from Removal (1830s) to the present. The class will encompass the larger themes of America Indian history such as removal, the reservation and boarding school eras, the Indian New Deal, termination and relocation, and contemporary issues. We will emphasize American Indian individual and community efforts to maintain sovereignty, identity, religion, and culture. Moreover, we will examine the cultural, political, economic, and religious changes and continuities in American Indian communities. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 229. Hitchcock: The Classic Films Cross-listed with MEDA 225. The name, even the mere profile of Alfred Hitchcock, suggest films of suspense beyond our expectations. Even more surprising, is the range and influence of his narrative formulations. He may be the screen's greatest rhetorician, the director most capable of tailoring the film image to the viewer's response. We will test this idea through a selective retrospective of eight of his more thematically-profound films. 3 credits cr., AL, Spring—V. Bailey
AMST 230. African American Autobiography Cross-listed with AFAM 230,ENGL 230. The African American slave narrative chronicles remarkable transformations: how a (wo)man was made a slave and how a slave was made a (wo)man. The ex-slave's affirmation of selfhood found expression in first-person narratives that launched a literary tradition. We will place this emerging tradition in its historical context, discuss its defining characteristics, and trace its development in twentieth-century African American autobiography. Our definition of "the literary" will not be divorced from relevant cultural codes and historical context. We will read classic slave narratives by Equiano, Douglass, and Jacobs; and twentieth-century autobiography by Washington, Hurston, Wright, Malcolm X, Angelou, Brooks, and Njeri. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 231. Race and Gender in the American South Cross-listed with HIST 226,WGST 227. This course will examine the prominent and dramatic role that race and gender have played in shaping the life experiences of Southern women and men. Issues to be covered include slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization and the New South, the KKK, and the Civil Rights movement. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 235. Asian American Literature Cross-listed with ENGL 235. This course is an introduction to major works and authors of fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry from about 1900 to the present. Though contemporary writers such as Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston have brought Asian American literature to popular attention, these accomplishments are part of a rich tradition of Asian American writing that dates back to the turn of the century. In this course we will pay particular attention to the historical, social, and political contexts of the works we read, in order to explore how diverse Asian American literary traditions have developed. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 236. Gender and Work in U.S. History Cross-listed with HIST 229,WGST 229. Historically work has been a central location for the constitution of gender identities for both men and women; at the same time, cultural notions of gender have shaped the labor market. We will investigate the roles of race, class, and ethnicity in shaping multiple sexual divisions of labor and the ways in which terms such as skill, bread-winning and work itself were gendered. Topics will include domestic labor, slavery, industrialization, labor market segmentation, protective legislation, and the labor movement. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 237. American Nature Writing Cross-listed with ENGL 236,ENTS 236. A study of the environmental imagination in American literature. We will explore the relationship between literature and the natural sciences and examine questions of style, narrative, and representation in the light of larger social, ethical, and political concerns about the environment. Authors read will include Emerson, Thoreau, Muir, Mary Austin, Jeffers, Abbey, Merwin, Silko, Snyder, and Terry Tempest Williams. Students will write a creative Natural History essay as part of the course requirements. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—M. Kowalewski
AMST 238. American Indian Literature Cross-listed with ENGL 237,ENTS 237. We will begin by examining what one critic has called the Image and Anti-Image of Indians in American literature. Then, by studying both ancient oral traditions, nineteenth-century oratory, early autobiographies, and more recent Indian fiction and poetry, we will seek to understand the complexities of Indian tribal identity and ecological perception, intercultural communication, and the bicultural inheritance modern Native American writers bring to their work. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 239. Introduction to Asian American Studies This team-taught course is designed as an interdisciplinary study of Asian American identities and cultures. We will address the diversity and fluidity of Asian American experiences through an examination of history, social sciences, literature, and film. Students of all majors and backgrounds are welcome to enroll. 6 credits cr., ND, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 241. Art Since 1945 Cross-listed with ARTH 240. Art from abstract expressionism to the present, with particular focus on issues such as the modernist artist-hero; the emergence of alternative or non-traditional media; the influence of the women's movement and the gay/lesbian liberation movement on contemporary art; and postmodern theory and practice. Prerequisite: any one term of art history. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—J. Caslin
AMST 242. Twentieth-Century American Drama Cross-listed with ENGL 242,THEA 242. A study of a selection of important American plays from Eugene O'Neill's Hairy Ape (1920) to Tony Kushner's Angels in America (1992) in the context of larger American themes and cultural preoccupations. The premise of this course is that these plays define the American theatre for most of this century. By studying them we will gain understanding of our own culture and the links that connect this culture to the transformative events of the century. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—R. Weiner
AMST 247. Modern Architecture Cross-listed with ARTH 245. European and American architecture c. 1880-1960 including Chicago School, Prairie School, Expressionism, International Style, Art Deco, Brutalism with perhaps a postcript on post-modernism. Architects studied include Sullivan, Wright, Gropius, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe. Prerequisite: any one term of art history. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—L. Soth
AMST 252. American Political Thought Cross-listed with POSC 252. According to Louis Hartz, America was born liberal. Are American political traditions fundamentally individualistic and egalitarian? If so, how do we explain race and gender hierarchies, socialist influences and the long-standing ideal of the godly "city on the hill"? We will explore representative texts in the American political tradition, concentrating on the Founding through the nineteenth century. Topics include the theory of the Constitution, early debates over citizenship, the emergence of feminism, abolitionism and race theory, and the defense and critique of industrial capitalism. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 253. Hybrid Cultures: Introduction to U.S. Latino Literature Cross-listed with SPAN 245. The course will focus on the problem of identity in the writings of the four major groups of Latinos in the U.S.: Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, Dominican-Americans, and Nuyoricans. It will address the diversity of problems that surface depending on whether the writers are immigrants, first generation English speakers, native to the Southwest but marginalized from American culture, urban dwellers or rural pobladores, men or women, gay or straight. Since this course is offered in the Spanish section, an emphasis is placed on the problem of language (bilingualism and translation), its relation to a general American identity (American defined here as belonging to the Americas, not only the U.S.), and more broadly to what we have to understand as hybrid cultures. In English. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 258. Rethinking the Fifties Through Film, Television and Photography Cross-listed with MEDA 228. Disguised in a poodle skirt and Elvis wig, Fifties America remains a nostalgic caricature for many students. This course offers a revisionary social history of this complex decade by examining a broad range of visual media. We'll consider key issues like the rise of consumer culture, the policing of gender, the "invention" of teens, Cold War paranoia, the rise of suburbia, the explosion of popular culture, television's "living room lectures," and smell-o-vision. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—J. Schott
AMST 259. Comparative Issues in Native North America Cross-listed with SOAN 259,LTAM 259. This course examines the cultural and historical situation of indigenous groups in the United States, Mexico, and Canada to develop a comparative perspective for understanding native peoples in North America. How have indigenous peoples variously coped with continuity and change? What strategies have they employed in pursuit of political sovereignty, economic survival, and cultural vitality? In answering these questions, we will explore the politics of representation regarding "the Indian" as a symbol in national consciousness; the negotiation of identity in inter ethnic contexts; patterns of resistance; the impact of European powers and state agendas; and the resurgence of tradition. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Spring—J. Levi
AMST 262. American Economic History Cross-listed with ECON 232. An introduction to the growth of the American economy from colonial times to the present with emphasis on the nineteenth century. Topics include technical change, the choice of technique, income distribution, demographic transition, labor supply and resource allocation through factor markets with institutional constraints. Debates in economic history such as the economic viability of antebellum slavery, the role of railroads in the growth process and the economic impact of the New Deal will be evaluated with evidence from the new economic history. May be counted toward the History major. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 264. Native American Music Cross-listed with MUSC 244. A survey of Native American musical cultures, carried out through the study of traditional and popular musical performance. A selection of Native American musical practices will be examined through the use of recordings and ethnographic writing about music. Ideas about music and its relationship to ceremonial and social life will be analyzed within a historical context, with special attention to twentieth century music history and the role of Native American music in shaping contemporary social and political categories such as race, class, and gender. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 268. Jews and Judaism in America Cross-listed with RELG 268. . Over the past two centuries, Jews have combined elements of traditional Judaism with aspects of American culture to create distinctive forms of Jewish life and thought. We will trace the history of American Jews and analyze the character of American Judaism, with special emphasis on the diverse contemporary forms of Jewish life. Prior study of Judaism and/or Hebrew Bible will be useful, but is not required. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 271. Constitutional Law I Cross-listed with POSC 271. Formerly POSC 301. Covers American constitutional law and history from the founding to the breakdown of the constitution in secession crisis. Extensive attention will be paid to the constitutional convention and other sources of constitutional law in addition to Supreme Court cases. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—K. Smith
AMST 272. Constitutional Law II Cross-listed with POSC 272. Formerly POSC 302. Covers American constitutional law and history from the crisis of the Civil War through the crisis of the great depression. Extensive attention will be paid to the effort to refound the American constitution following the Civil War as manifest in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments, and to the successive transformations which the Supreme Court worked in the new constitutional order. Political Science 271 is not a prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—K. Smith
AMST 287. California Program: California Art and Architecture Cross-listed with ENTS 287. An in-depth study of how California painting, photography, and architecture embody the state's evolving social, cultural and environmental concerns. The course will include discussions with California artists and art historians, and visits to museums and galleries. Art and artists studied will include native rock art; paintings by Bierstadt, Nahl, the California Impressionists, the Society of Six, Diebenkorn and urban spray-can muralists; photography by Adams, Weston, Lange, and Misrach; the imagery of commercial culture (lithographs, advertisements, and orange crate labels); and architecture by Maybeck, Morgan, and the Greene Brothers. 6 credits cr., ND, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 289. California Program: California Field Study Students will participate in a number of field trips dealing with California's history, literature and environment. Sites visited will include Mt. Shasta, Yosemite, Sutter's Fort, the California Indian Museum, Hearst Castle and the Watt's Towers. Students will complete an oral culture project. 2 credits cr., S/CR/NC, ND, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 300. Anthropology and Indigenous Rights Cross-listed with SOAN 302,LTAM 302. This seminar examines the relationship between culture and human rights from an anthropological perspective. By asking "who are indigenous peoples?" and "what specific rights do they have?" this course introduces students to a comparative framework for understanding cultural rights discourse. Given the history of intolerance to difference, the seminar demonstrates the need to explore the determinants of violence, ethnocide, and exploitation routinely committed against the world's most marginalized peoples. At the same time, it also asks about the limits of tolerance, if human rights abuses are perpetrated under the banner of cultural pluralism. Students will analyze case studies drawn from Africa, Asia, and the Americas, as well as issues that cross-cut these regions Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110, 111 or permision of the instructor; upper division coursework in anthropology, sociology, history or philosophy recommended. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 304. Issues in American Democracy* Cross-listed with POSC 305. An in-depth analysis of the operations of American electoral and national governmental institutions. The seminar will examine the normative and empirical aspects of popular rule in America by surveying a variety of analytical perspectives, from The Federalist Papers to contemporary political science. Students are responsible for the agenda of class sessions and each must complete a 20-25 page research paper on a course-related topic. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—S. Schier
AMST 306. Urban Racial and Ethnic Politics* Cross-listed with AFAM 306,POSC 306. Exploration of similarities and differences in political struggle of Irish, Italian and other white ethnic groups with African Americans and Latinos. What are the strategies for political empowerment? What are the benefits of empowerment? How is pan-ethnic (e.g., Latino, Asian-American) identity created? 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 308. Poverty and Public Policy* Cross-listed with AFAM 308,POSC 308. This course will focus on the causes of urban poverty in the United States and the public policy strategies at the state and federal levels for reducing poverty. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 309. The American Presidency* Cross-listed with POSC 309. A study of the contemporary Presidency, with a focus on the development of the institutional Presidency, the relations with other structures in the American political system and the role of unelected advisors including the First Lady. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 311. Topics in Constitutional Law* Cross-listed with POSC 311. This seminar will explore selected themes in constitutional law, examining the historical development of doctrine, the philosophical issues raised by the issues and the contemporary political controversies surrounding the Court's decisions. Topics may include the separation of church and state, freedom of speech, reproductive rights, criminal justice, voting rights, and gender and sexuality in the law. Prerequisite: One of the following: Political Science 206, 270, 271. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 312. American Political Culture and Values: Special Election Edition* Cross-listed with POSC 312. This course examines the different ways that political scientists approach American political culture. The course focuses on topics that include styles of political leadership, the role of heroism, the concept of the "democratic citizen," and the meaning of patriotism, freedom, and equality. The 2000 election will be the prime example through which we will study American political culture. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 315. Paul Robeson and American Culture Cross-listed with AFAM 315. This seminar examines the twentieth century through the eyes of Paul Robeson, the dramatically multi-talented African-American genius who flourished through the middle of the century. We will explore Robeson's life and times, his cultural and political philosophies as well as the political, cultural and personal forces that impacted and shaped his life (1898-1976), both in the United States and around the world. The approach is multi-disciplinary - delving into music, language, African and African-American history, Asian philosophy, as well as some European history and culture, the politics of McCarthyism, and the birth of American theater and film. 6 credits cr., RAD,ND, Fall—S. Robeson
AMST 318. The American Farm* Cross-listed with POSC 318,ENTS 318. A study of the American agrarian tradition from the founding to the present, examining the historical, economic, ecological and political context in which ideas about farming and farm life have evolved. We will explore the historical relationship between agrarianism and related and opposing ideologies, such as Populism, liberalism, environmentalism and feminism, and consider its contemporary relevance and vitality. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 322. The Civil Rights Movement in America, 1942-1965 Cross-listed with AFAM 322,HIST 322. This course will examine the development of the Civil Rights movement from the formation of CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality) to the Voting Rights Act. It will focus upon significant individuals, groups, and campaigns in an effort to assess the impact of the movement on both African-American and American cultures. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 323. Studies in Nineteenth-Century American Literature: Writing in the 1850s Cross-listed with ENGL 333. This course introduces students to the History of the Book as a field of study by focusing on American literary culture during the 1850s: a decade of perhaps unmatched literary achievement in U.S. history. Tracing the emergence of modern authorship and publishing, we will examine the parallel courses of popular and belletristic writing at the height of the American Renaissance. Readings include texts by canonical authors such as Hawthorne, Melville, Thoreau, and Whitman, along with the first national "bestsellers" and selections from popular genres traditionally regarded as ephemeral. Group III. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—S. Wadsworth
AMST 324. The Concord Intellectuals Cross-listed with HIST 324. The social and intellectual history of the American Renaissance with focus on selected works of Emerson, Thoreau, Amos Bronson Alcott, and Margaret Fuller. Special emphasis will be placed on the one common denominator uniting these intellectuals: their devotion to the possibilities of democracy. Prerequisite: History 120 or consent of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—H. Williams
AMST 328. Jazz History Seminar Cross-listed with AFAM 330,MUSC 330. A research seminar in jazz history, this course will introduce students to the basic bibliographic tools, historical artifacts, and critical tradition of the field. Students will present short oral and written reports on selected examples of this material in preparation for a major research paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. Prerequisites: Music 110, 130 or permission of the instructor. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 329. Vietnam War and American Policy* Cross-listed with POSC 329. This course will examine the factors which led to America's involvement in Vietnam. It will focus on the domestic and foreign policy issues which shaped America's perceptions and actions. It will also discuss the subsequent impact of the Vietnam experience on American foreign policy. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 330. Literature of the American West Cross-listed with ENGL 330,ENTS 330. Wallace Stegner once described the West as "the geography of hope" in the American imagination. Despite various dystopian urban pressures, the region still conjures up images of wide vistas and sunburned optimism. We will explore this paradox by examining both popular mythic conceptions of the West (primarily in film) and more searching literary treatments of the same area. We will explore how writers such as Twain, Cather, Stegner, Castillo, and Cormac McCarthy have dealt with the geographical diversity and multiethnic history of the West. Films will include The Searchers, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Unforgiven, and Lone Star. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 331. Banned and Burned: Controversial Texts in American Literature and Culture Cross-listed with ENGL 331. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to some famous (and some not-so-famous) controversies involving texts published in the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Specific topics to be addressed include literacy and access to print, politics and propaganda, gender and sexuality, censorship, and the impact of new media on the dissemination of controversial texts. Through readings and discussions of books by Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, J. D. Salinger, and Allen Ginsberg, students will gain an understanding of how social, political, and cultural values are challenged, modified, and transformed through the act of publication. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—S. Wadsworth
AMST 332. Studies in American Literature: Faulkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald Cross-listed with ENGL 332. An intensive study of the novels and short fiction of William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The course will focus on the experimentation ethos and "homemade" quality of these innovative stylists who shaped the course of American modernism. Works read will be primarily from the twenties and thirties and will include The Sound and the Fury, In Our Time, Light in August, The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and Go Down, Moses. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—M. Kowalewski
AMST 333. African American Novelists in Context Cross-listed with AFAM 337,ENGL 337. This course will discuss Baldwin, Hurston, Ellison, Charles Johnson, Paule Marshall, Morrison, Naylor, Wideman, and Wright as formal technicians and wordsmiths, and assess these writers' contribution—individually and collectively—to the novelistic tradition in the twentieth century. We will read and discuss novels from the 1930s (Their Eyes were Watching God), 1940s (Native Son), 1950s (Invisible Man and Go Tell It On the Mountain), 1960s (The Chosen Place, The Timeless People), 1970s (Song of Solomon), 1980s (Mama Day), and the 1990s (Middle Passage and Philadelphia Fire). Prerequisite: One of the following courses: ENGL/AFAM/AMST 117; ENGL/AMST 112, or with instructor's permission. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 334. Studies in American Literature: The Postmodern American Novel Cross-listed with ENGL 334. Is there such a thing as Postmodernism? And if there is, how do we define it? What sets Postmodern literature apart from the literature of the first half of the twentieth century? Or is Postmodernism merely a deviant branch of Modernism? We will try to answer these questions, first by using a classic Modernist text (let's say, Hemingway), to define Modernism, and then by reading a number of authors frequently referred to as Postmodern (Nabokov, Barth, Pynchon, Morrison, and others). Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—G. Smith
AMST 336. Studies in American Literature: Major American Authors: 1850-1920 Cross-listed with ENGL 336. Reading and discussion of works by major American authors of the nineteenth century: Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables, Melville's Moby Dick, Twain's Huckleberry Finn, James's Portrait of a Lady, Wharton's House of Mirth, and the poetry of Dickinson and Frost. Group III. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 337. Studies in Nineteenth-Century American Literature: American Realism Cross-listed with ENGL 335. Between the American Renaissance and the flowering of modernism lies a period of literature that has alternately frustrated and fascinated scholars. This course will explore American literary production between the Civil War and the early twentieth century, with a focus on the rich variety of writing often lumped together under the genre of "realism." Questions concerning the construction of American "culture" will be central to the course, and authors include Mark Twain, Henry James, Theodore Dreiser, Sarah Orne Jewett, Charles Chestnutt, Edith Wharton, and others. Group III. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—N. Cho
AMST 338. Multicultural Education Cross-listed with AFAM 338,EDUC 338. This course focuses on the respect for human diversity and personal rights, especially as these relate to various racial, cultural and economic groups, and to women. It includes lectures and discussions intended to aid students in relating to a wide variety of persons, cultures, and life styles. 6 credits cr., S/CR/NC, SS,RAD, Fall—J. Landsman
AMST 339. Rereading the African American Novel Cross-listed with AFAM 339,ENGL 338,WGST 338. Commenting on the scant attention accorded Brooks' Maud Martha and the overwhelming response of the academic community to Ellison's Invisible Man, Mary Helen Washington notes that "the real 'invisible man'...[is] the black woman." By granting high visibility to Nella Larsen, Zora Hurston, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor and Alice Walker, this course contributes to ongoing efforts to address and redress an imbalance in the criticism of the African-American novel. It will be suggested that Hurston, Morrison and Walker, in particular, extend the boundaries of African-American literary expression through their daring experimentation with the language and form of fiction. Prerequisite: One of the following courses: English 112, 117, 230 or with instructor's permission. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 340. Contemporary American Playwrights of Color Cross-listed with ENGL 339,THEA 339. This course will examine a diverse selection of plays from the 1970s to the present with an attempt to understand how different theatrical venues frame our understanding of ethnic identity. Playwrights and performers to be studied include Ntozake Shange, George C. Wolfe, Luis Valdez, David Henry Hwang, August Wilson, Philip Gotanda, Wakako Yamauchi, Maria Irene Fornes, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Ann Deavere Smith. There will be occasional video screenings and we will attend live theatrical performances when possible. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Fall—N. Cho
AMST 341. Topics in U.S. Economic History Cross-listed with ECON 340. Cliometrics, or the "new economic history," has become an important field of economics over the last three decades. By applying standard economic theories and tools to historical data, cliometricians have made intriguing discoveries about economic growth, population trends, labor market changes, slavery and the South, immigration and mobility, money and banking policies, technological innovations, and the effects of the legal system. This course focuses on the United States, utilizing the models and hypotheses developed in core economics courses to analyze a series of historical events. Prerequisites: Economics 330, 331, and 332 (may be taken concurrently). 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 344. Youth, Culture, and Schooling Cross-listed with EDUC 344. Is adolescence real or invented? How does the American high school affect the nature of American adolescence? How does adolescence affect the characteristics of middle and high schools? In addition to treating the concept historically, this interdisciplinary course focuses on psychological, sociological, and literary views of adolescence in and out of the classroom. We will also analyze how adolescence is represented in popular culture, including television, film, and music. Prerequisite: 100 or 200 level education course. Cannot be taken if student has taken AMST 115 (Growing Up American) 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 345. Methods in American Studies An introduction to some of the animating debates within American Studies from the 1930s to the present. This course will study select themes, theories, and methodologies in the writings of a number of scholars in the field and try to understand 1) the often highly-contested nature of debates about how best to study American culture; and 2) how various methods have evolved and transformed themselves over the last seventy years. The course is not designed to be a fine-grained institutional history of American Studies, but a vigorous exploration of some of the central questions of interpretation in the field. This course will normally be taken by majors in their junior year. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—R. Bonner
AMST 346. Atlantic Revolutions, France and America Cross-listed with HIST 345,FRST 345. An examination of the recent literature on the French and American Revolutions to establish a basis for a comparative approach to both revolutions. Our approach will include social, political, intellectual and cultural perspectives on a variety of subjects illuminating the reciprocity between the revolutions. The course will not concern itself with a detailed narrative of either revolution so some solid knowledge of one or both of these revolutions is assumed. This will be a reading intensive course heavily dependent on class discussion. Written work will consist of one short critical review at the mid-term and a final, more extensive analytic paper. Permission of the instructors is required. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—C. Weiner, S. Zabin
AMST 351. Political Theory of Martin Luther King* Cross-listed with AFAM 351,POSC 351. This seminar will examine the speeches, writings, and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will study King as an example of the responsible citizen envisioned by the theory expressed in The Federalist, as a contributor to the discourse of civil religion, and as a figure in recent American social history. Prerequisites: Political Science 122 or introductory history course. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Fall—B. Allen
AMST 352. Political Theory of Alexis de Tocqueville* Cross-listed with POSC 352. An examination of the political theory of Alexis de Tocqueville, focusing on Democracy in America and The Old Regime and Revolution. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 353. Feminist and American Separatist Movements* Cross-listed with POSC 353,WGST 353. Within a feminist framework we will contrast social protest movements such as the Black Panther Party and Radical Zionism that appear to elevate racial or ethnic identity above gender concerns with lesbian feminist strategies that include an analysis of race and class as well as those feminist strategies that do not. In each case we will look at the multifaceted intersections of gender, race, class, and ethnicity. Prerequisite: Women's and gender studies 110 or Political Science 122. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 354. Schooling and Opportunity in American Society Cross-listed with EDUC 353,SOAN 320. This course is concerned with both the role of schools in society and the impact of society on schools. It deals with race, ethnicity, sex, social class and other factors which influence school achievement, and also examines the widespread assumption that the expansion of schooling can increase equality of opportunity in society. 6 credits cr., SS, Fall—J. Ramsay
AMST 357. Tocqueville: Topics Cross-listed with POSC 357,AMST 35. 7. In this course students study the political theory of Alexis de Tocqueville in preparation for applying democratic theory to contemporary problems in politics (e.g. juvenile justice, environmental politics). 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 375. American Children: The Poor and the Privileged Cross-listed with EDUC 375. This course will focus on the physical, psychological, emotional and intellectual development and well-being of children in the United States. Particular attention will be paid to the disparity in child care resources and opportunities between the poor and the wealthy. The strengths and weaknesses of contemporary child support policies will be explored and debated. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 386. California Program: The Literature of California Cross-listed with ENGL 386,ENTS 386. An intensive study of writing and film that explores California both as a place (or rather, a mosaic of places) and as a continuing metaphor-whether of promise or disintegration-for the rest of the country. Authors read will include Jack London, John Muir, Raymond Chandler, Nathanael West, Robinson Jeffers, John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac, Joan Didion, Gary Snyder, and Maxine Hong Kingston. Films will include Sunset Boulevard, Chinatown, The Grapes of Wrath, Zoot Suit, L.A. Confidential, and Blade Runner. Group IV. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 394. Psychology of Prejudice Cross-listed with AFAM 384,PSYC 384. This seminar introduces students to major psychological theories and research on the development, perpetuation and reduction of prejudice. A sociological and historical approach to race, culture, ethnicity and race relations will provide a backdrop for examining psychological theory and research on prejudice formation and reduction. Major areas to be discussed are cognitive social learning, group conflict and contact hypothesis. Prerequisites: Psychology 110 or permission of instructor. Psychology 256 or 258 recommended. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Spring—S. Akimoto
AMST 395. Topics in African American History Cross-listed with AFAM 395,HIST 395. Black Conservatism: Uncle Toms or Black Messiahs? This seminar will investigate Black Conservatism as a response to the crisis of liberalism in Afro-America. We will discuss the works of influential black intellectual conservatives including Booker T. Washington, George S. Schuyler, and Shelby Steele, among others. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—H. Williams
AMST 395. Topics in East Asian History Cross-listed with AFAM 395,HIST 395. Designed for advanced students who wish to pursue independent research in histories of China, Japan, and/or Korea, from ancient times to the present. Students will be introduced to major historiography in the field, key documentary collections, and important research aids. Students will write and present a major research paper. Open primarily to juniors with some background in East Asian history, but open to others as well. Prerequisite: History 110, 150, 151, 152, 153, 258, or with the instructor's permission. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—S. Yoon
AMST 395. Fascism Cross-listed with AFAM 395,HIST 395. An historical analysis of the twentieth-century phenomenon of fascism in Germany, France and Italy, with special emphasis on the sources, methods, and practice of National Socialism in Germany. A two-credit reading course (395) during the summer break, set up in consultation with the instructor at the end of the spring term, is required. History 141 is recommended, but not required, as useful background. Consent of the instructor is required. 6 credits (2 credit summer rea cr., HU, Fall—D. Prowe
AMST 395. Nationalism Cross-listed with AFAM 395,HIST 395. In the first half of the course, students will acquaint themselves with the recent literature on nationalism, including both theoretical and historical works. In the second half, they will prepare and present research papers on nationalism in a given historical context. Previous work in history required. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—A. Khalid
AMST 395. The Early Republic Cross-listed with AFAM 395,HIST 395. From 1787 to 1848, the early American republic underwent enormous shifts in race, gender, and class relations. This is an advanced research seminar in which students will write a 25-30 page paper based on original research. Possible topics include rights of citizenship for women as well as men, the aftermath of the American Revolution and the Constitution, the paradoxes of Jeffersonian ideology, Native American removals, and the reform movements of the Second Great Religious Awakening. Participation in the seminar will also include some common readings about the major themes of this period, and extensive peer reviews of research papers. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—S. Zabin
AMST 395. City and Countryside in Medieval Europe Cross-listed with AFAM 395,HIST 395. This research seminar will focus on questions of settlement and community, including the built environment, city/country relations, and urban and rural life as it was experienced by various groups, genders, or classes in the period ca.400-ca.1600. The group readings will introduce problems, definitions, and methods that will be of use in the students' individual research papers. We will also spend time talking about the craft of research. Other research interests can be accommodated. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—V. Morse
AMST 396. Senior Seminar in American Studies An interdisciplinary course taught by a single member of the American Studies faculty, designed to introduce students to theories and methods in American Studies as they relate to a particular topic of inquiry. The course will encourage students to explore the various, sometimes conflicting ways in which a cultural or political phenomenon has been interpreted by a number of different disciplines. The course will include both primary and secondary texts, and will involve significant research for students preparing to work on the senior integrative exercise in the following term. This seminar will normally be taken by majors in their senior year. In 2001-2002 the topic of this seminar will be: Not offered in 2001-2002.
AMST 396. Seminar in American Studies: Post-Modern America An intensive interdisciplinary exploration of contemporary American popular culture in the context of current social, economic, and technological changes. We will examine contemporary society and manners through the lens of television serials, print and broadcast journalism, cartoon art, popular music, movies, documentaries, spectacle events, and advertising. We will see how such topics are illuminated by novelists, sociologists, historians, economists, geographers, and cultural studies theorists. Our goal as a class will be to develop standards suitable for critically assessing representations of contemporary society. Prerequisite: American Studies 345. 6 credits cr., ND, Fall—M. Kowalewski
AMST 400. Colloquium and Integrative Exercise The colloquium will meet as a research seminar, providing a structured environment for seniors working on their integrative exercise in American Studies. It will build upon the research experience of the senior seminar, and prepare students for the independent production of theses or performances during the spring term to satisfy the college "comps" requirement. The course will continue into the spring term; students will be evaluated for this course upon completion of the senior integrative exercise. 6 credits cr., S/NC, ND, Winter—R. Keiser