Introduction to American Studies

This course provides an introduction to American Studies, a research and teaching movement founded by American scholars in the 1930s. We will examine the movement's effort to interpret the American "experience" from an interdisciplinary perspective-- one that synthesizes the methods and materials of history, literature, art history, music, anthropology, psychology, sociology, folklore, popular culture, and ethnic and women's studies. In the course of tracing the movement's evolution, we will explore some major trends and controversies in contemporary American thought.

In this course we will look at what American Studies people did and do, primarily by examining some representative "big idea" books about the American experience.

Texts:
John Kouwenhoven, The Arts in Modern American Civilization, 1948
David Potter, People of Plenty: Economic Abundance and the American Character, 1954
Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones), Blues People, 1963
Nathan Glazer, Ethnic Dilemmas. 1964-1982, 1983

Ruth Cowan, More Work For Mother, 1983 Requirements and Grading
Students will write five, 1000 word essays (4-5 typed, double-spaced pages0, following the "American Studies Guide For Written Assignments." You will write one essay for each of the five texts. Tour essay will be in response to a question selected from a list distributed in class every other Thursday.
This is a General Education Course in Contemporary Societies. Your essays will be graded for quality of thought, organization, and style. Be creative, but be sure to answer the question, and include sufficient information from the appropriate text to back up ypur ideas.

Class Schedule
4.2. Introduction to Course- Review course format, requirements, and texts; introduction to the concept of culture and interdisiplinary thinking. Read: Jay Mechling, "An American Cultural Grid"

I) AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE FORTIES- The orgins of American Studies in an attempt to connect American history, art, and literature.

4.4. The search for an American aesthetic; culture and the cultivated (elite), vernalcular (popular), and folk traditions. Read: Kouwenhoven, Chpts. 1,2,3.

4.9. Interpreting Material Culture- Early American industrial design, machines, furniture, vernacular architecture and painting. Read: Kouwenhoven, Chpts. 4,5,6,7.

4.11. The vernacular tradition in American literature and music. Read: Kouwenhoven, Chpts. 8,9,10.

First essay due 4.16

II)AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE FIFTIES- Studies in American national character; the "consensus" approach to American civilization, linking the uniqueness of American thought and institutions to religious and national mission.

4.16. Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of American character. Read Potter, Intro. and chpts. 1,2,3.

4.18. The nature of American abundance, mobility, and status. Read: Potter, Chpts. 3,4.

4.23. American abundance, democracy, and national mission. Read: Potter, Chpts. 5,6.

4.25. Abundance and the institutions of advertising. Read: Potter, Chpts. 7,8,9.

Second Essay due 4.30

III) AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE SIXTIES- The consensus dissloves into a "conflict" model; the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, and the women's movement provide the cultural context for political activism among student's and scholars; interest in Black, multi-cultural, and women's studies emerges.

4.30. The civil rights movement and Black nationalist movement; assimilation versus separatism. Read: Baraka, Chpts. 1,2,3.

5.2. Interpreting African-American music culture I: work songs, spirituals, early jazz and blues. Read: Baraka, Chpts. 4,5,6,7.

5.7. Interpreting African-American music culture II: urban blues, gospel, swing, bop. Read: Baraka, Chpts. 8,9,10.

5.9. The "Africanization" of American popular music: cultural sharing versus cultural appropriation. Read: Baraka: Chpts. 11,12

Third essay is due 5.14

IV) AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE SEVENTIES- A malaise sfflicts society, the university, and the American Studies Movement; a withdrawal from national/political issues to more personal and local concerns. But interest in cultural pluralism and gender continues to grow with the establishment of women's and ethnic studies programs in universities.

5.14. Ethnicity in America: from the melting pot to cultural pluralism. Read: Glazer, Chpts. 1,2,4,5.

5.16. Ethnicity and identity: assimilation versus ethnic consciousness. Read: Glazer, Chpts 6,7,8.

5.21. Ethnicity of display: the retention and invention of ethnic identity through food, music, ritual, parades, and "folk" traditions.

5.23. Ethnicity and politics: the affirmative action and bilingual education debates. Read Glazer, Chpts. 9,10,11,16.

Fourth essay is due 5.28

V) AMERICAN STUDIES IN THE EIGHTIES- Feminist and cultural-pluralism theories reach maturity as American Studies becomes a source of cultural criticism; a return to larger national and political concerns; a "popular" conservative backlash questions the liberal ideology of ethnic/gender theory and practice.

5.28. Introduction to the women's movement feminist theory, and the American family.

5.30. The pre-industrial and early industrial family; household work, technology, and gender roles. Read: Cowan, Chpts. 1,2,3.

6.4. 20th century household work (more work for mother); the shift from production to consumption in family life. Read: Cowan Chpts. 4,6,7.

6.6. Alternatives to the traditional nuclear family and conventional household work (less work for mother?) Read: Cowan Chpt. 5 and postscript.

Fifth essay due 6.10

CEPACS
Randy Bass, Director