American Studies 300 Schedule
of
Winter 2007
P. Pennock
Important Note: All assignments are to be completed BY
the day they appear on this schedule.
(For example, the readings
listed under Jan. 18 shall have been done prior to that class period, in
preparation for class discussion that day.)
|
J
11 |
Introduction and Syllabus What is American
Studies? What is American culture? What shapes “identity”? |
|
J
18 |
What is an American? What is/was the American Dream? Lecture: The idea of American Exceptionalism (Lipset hand-out) On-line
(primaries: some classic writings:)
New
interpretation [Access it on
ERes (password:
(from his book, The American Dream: A
Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation (Oxford University Press,
2003) |
|
J
25 |
Borderlands
and Outsider Narratives Coursepack
and/or ERes:
On-line:
Homework Due Today Complete both parts, typed or hand-written Part 1: From the reading assigned for last week (DeToqueville,
etc.), write down three major ideas that you found either compelling or
flawed. (or a combination of the 2). You do not need to write a long
explanation – the purpose is to jog class discussion. (Please include which author articulated
which idea.) Part 2: Choose one of the personal narratives assigned for
today (all except Anzualda)
on which to write a short analysis and reaction. (no more than a page) |
|
F
1 |
Turn-of-the-(last)-Century
note: Schlereth is a leading scholar in American
Studies
Optional: histories
of Detroit written in 1883 & 1884 Short Paper 1 Due (link to see assignment) |
|
F
8 |
Ethnicity
and Race: perspectives then and now
Online primary
documents:
Guest Speaker: Dr. Kevin Early Homework: Choose one
of the primary documents assigned for today and write a 1 to 2 page analysis
of it. (The primary documents consist of everything except the Guglielmo and
DeSalvo readings.) The assignment may be hand-written or typed. Your analysis should be
more than a summary, and it should not simply be a personal reaction essay.
You should probe and speculate about the significance of authorship,
context/time period, what the author is saying, and how he/she is saying it.
What kind of worldview and assumptions does the author seem to have? What
kind of perspective does he/she seek to convey? Can you make any connections
to other concepts or material that we have encountered? |
|
F
15 |
Americanization,
Progressivism, and Race
Online readings:
|
|
F
22 |
Gender,
Class, Race, and Reform
On-line readings:
Homework Due Today: repeat the assignment you wrote
for Feb. 8, but this time choose one of the readings assigned for
today, and concentrate on how assumptions about gender intersected with other
factors of identity (e.g. race, class) to shape this account. (hand-written or typed) |
|
|
Spring
Break! |
|
M
8 |
African
American Urban Culture
On-Line: Optional:
Harlem Renaissance art Guest
Speaker: Dr. Lars Bjorn, Professor of Sociology, on jazz music Sign
up for conferences |
|
M
15 |
No
Class: individual conferences with me about final projects Short Paper #3 Due – (bring it to your conference) |
|
M
22 |
The
West As Contested Space Homework: Select two passages from the novel that you found compelling in some way. (A “passage” may be anywhere from a few lines to a few pages.) Indicate each passage by noting its page number(s), and quoting it (if it’s fairly short) or summarizing it (if it’s fairly long.) For each passage you have chosen, write at least a paragraph of your analysis – why you chose it, what you think it reveals, and maybe why you think it’s important in terms of the whole book. [Assignment may be hand-written or typed.] Project Proposal Due (link here for Proposal Guidelines) |
|
M
29 |
Native
American Identity Documents from Colin G.
Galloway’s First Peoples:
|
|
A
5 |
Film:
Lone Star Rough
Drafts of Final Project Due |
|
A
12 |
Student
Presentations Extra Credit essay on Lone
Star due |
|
A
19 |
Student
Presentations and Wrap Up Final
Papers Due |
