AMST 115 • Fall 2005
Introduction to American Studies: “Placing” American Identities
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is about a topic that is often taken for granted, or not even considered, yet is extremely salient. Place is often transparent; typically, we don't examine how place structures the identities, perceptions, and behavior of individuals and communities. Like race, class, and gender, place, both material and conceptual, impacts how we see our world and ourselves.
The topics for this course represent sites (border, suburbs, and high schools) that are the foci of American studies scholarship. They are also places that are integral to the everyday lives of Americans.
Except for the three required books, all readings for the course are on e-reserve at Gould library. We expect that students will come to class prepared.
There will be a movie night almost every week; please reserve Wednesdays or Thursdays, for an 8 pm showing in the Library. Movie nights are not optional since the viewings represent an integral part of your "reading" work for the course.
On Sunday October 23, we will take a field trip to the Mall of America. Like movie nights, this field trip is compulsory and non-negotiable.
COURSE GOALS
We hope this introduction to American studies will raise some important questions for all of you and inspire some of you to become American studies majors. The course is designed to help you begin thinking about different disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives in order to help you discover how American studies is different from other disciplines. We will also examine why the study of place requires interdisciplinary methodology. Finally, we will explore the concept of text by expanding our notion of what texts can be, and we will learn together to read, critique, and, if necessary, resist a variety of scholarly and cultural texts.
COURSE WEBSITE
The course folder is linked on this site. We will use the course folder to post course material, to exchange written assignments, to share work, and to conserve as much paper as possible.
COURSE MATERIALS
Required Texts:
Olsen, Laurie. Made in American.
Vila, Pablo. Crossing Borders, Reinforcing Borders.
Boyle, T. C. The Tortilla Curtain
Additional readings will be distributed in class or placed on e-reserve in Gould Library.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS % Due Date
Attendance and Participation 15%
--includes participation in mandatory field trip October 23
Field Notes from Site Visit 5 October 24
Four short (3-5 pages) papers
ü Personal narrative, 10 Sept. 17
(Placing your identity)
ü Historically-informed analysis 15 Oct. 3
ü Mini-ethnography 15 Oct 27
or Literary Archaeology
ü Cultural criticism of film 15 Nov. 12
Final paper/comprehensive synthesis 25% Nov 21
Schedule of Topics and Readings
Topic 1: Course Introduction
Mon, Sept. 12 Introduction
Wed, Sept. 14 Franklin and Steiner - “Taking Place: Toward the Regrounding of American Studies”
Putnam, R. – “Thinking About Social Change in America”
Oldenburg, R. – “The Problem of Place in America”
Fri, Sept. 16 “The People,” (David Riesman) Time Magazine includes W. McClay, The Masterless, ch. 7
hooks, "Homeplace: a site of resistance"
Rich, "Note towards a Politics of Location"
Saturday, Sept. 17 Personal Essay Due (2-3 pages)
Topic 2: The U.S.-Mexico Border
Mon, Sept 19 Vila: Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2.
Wed, Sept 21 Vila: Chapters 3 and 4. Movie of the week: Born in East LA
Fri, Sept 23 Sáenz.
Mon, Sept 26 Langewiesche; Anzaldúa (chapter and poem).
Wed, Sept 28 Vila: Chapter 5; Urrea; poems: Mora (1), Ríos (1), Valdés (2). Movie of the week: Lone Star
Fri, Sept 30 Fregoso.
Mon, Oct 3 Gómez-Peña; Time magazine issue: "Welcome to Amexica."
Historically Informed Analysis (3-5 pages) --Due 5pm
Topic 2: Suburbia: Cultural Values, Class Divisions
Wed, Oct 5 Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier, chs. 3 & 7;
Nicolaides, My Blue Heaven, ch. 1.
Movie of the week: Avalon
Friday, Oct 7 Jackson, chs. 11 & 13; Nicolaides, ch. 6
Mon, Oct 10 Jackson, ch. 15; Nicolaides, ch. 7; Wiese
[Discuss Avalon]
Wed, Oct 12 Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, chs. 2 & 10
Movie of the week: Pleasantville
Fri, Oct 14 Kelly, Expanding the American Dream, ch. 3
Oldenburg, The Great Good Place, ch. 12
Oct 15-17 Mid-Term Break
Wed, Oct 19 Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain
Friday, Oct 21 Cohen, “From Town Center to Shopping Center”
Price, “Looking for Nature at the Mall”
Fiske, “Shopping for Pleasure”
Field Trip: Sunday, October 23
Mon, Oct 24 McKenzie, “From Exclusivity to Exclusion”
Lewis, “Community through Exclusion and Illusion”
Mini-Ethnography or Literary Archaeology of Tortilla Curtain
Due Thursday, October 27, 9 am, 4-5 pages
Wed, Oct 26 On the Soap Box: Further Explorations of Places
Movies of the week: Cliques: Behind the Labels and an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Topic 4: School Spaces
Fri, Oct 28 Tatum: Chapters 2 and 4 from Why are all the Black Kids Sitting in the Back of the Cafeteria?
Mon, Oct 31 Olsen: Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2
Wed, Nov 2 Olsen: Chapters 3 and 4.
Movies of the week bell hooks: Cultural Criticism and an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fri, Nov 4 Olsen: Chapter 5; Fine, et al.
Mon, Nov 7 Olsen: Chapters 7, 8, 9.
Wed, Nov 9 Olsen: Chapters 10 and 11; Rodriguez.
Movie of the week: Adolescent Film Festival
Fri, Nov 11 Discussion of films and cultural criticism
Sat, Nov 12 Critical Analysis Due 9am
Topic 5: Other Places: How to Do Research in American Studies
Mon, Nov 14
Wed, Nov 16
Final paper/exam is due by the last finals period on Monday, Nov 21, but you may turn it in anytime beforehand.
Adriana Estill Richard Keiser
Laird 202 Willis 417
Office Hours: 10:00-11:45 Tuesdays Office Hours: Monday, 2:00-4:30
2:00-3:45 Wednesdays Wednesday, 2:00-4:30