American Studies (AMST)

AMST 444C - Picturing America: The Arts & Social Change

Credits: 4

How has the camera shaped the way we see ourselves, and the world around us? How are photographers and writers--sometimes self-consciously and sometimes unwittingly affected by the definitions of what it means to be an American? What does something American look like? In this class, we'll try to answer that question in all its complexity by looking at both photographic and written documents, from the late nineteenth century, when photography was a relatively new technology, to the present. How can we "read" a photograph? What kinds of ethical and aesthetic concerns are involved in recording "reality?" What is the relationship between art and social concerns? How do photographs tell stories, and with what consequences?.

Attributes: FinePerformingArts(Discovery); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

AMST 444D - Long-Ago Stories Behind Everyday Life

Credits: 4

This interdisciplinary course focuses on the culture of the United States during a specific and short periods of time (1885-1915; 1915-1940; etc). Emphasis is as much on methods of interdisciplinary studies as on the material itself: we'll approach culture through primary sources from a variety of different disciplines: history, sociology, literature, art, architecture, music, film.

Attributes: Humanities(Disc); Inquiry (Discovery); Writing Intensive Course

Grade Mode: Letter Grading