Courses
American Studies
- AMST-A 301 The Question of American Identity (3 cr.) Is American culture unified or does it consist of a potpourri of more or less distinct cultures? Beginning with the 1600s but emphasizing the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this course explores classic texts in American culture, seeking to locate the terms of American unity in the midst of obvious diversity. PUL=5
- AMST-A 302 The Question of American Community (3 cr.) What are the varieties and forms of American social life? This course will explore the manner in which Americans, from Puritan times through the later decades of the twentieth century, have structured and experienced social life in rural, urban, and suburban settings. PUL=5
- AMST-A 303 Topics in American Studies (1-3 cr.) Interdisciplinary consideration of various American studies topics. PUL=5
- AMST-A 304 The Transformation of America 1960–1980 (3 cr.) America in the years from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan. An examination of such topics as the myth of Camelot, the civil rights movement and the subsequent black uprising, Vietnam and its aftermath, the rise of counterculture, campus unrest and the student movement, the road to Watergate and the retreat into narcissism, the pervasive influence of television, and the rise of neo-conservatism. Also, consideration of the literature: modernism and fabulism in fiction, social and cultural criticism, and the new journalism in nonfiction. PUL=5
- AMST-A 499 Senior Tutorial in American Studies (3 cr.) This course provides students with the opportunity to pursue particular interests in American studies on topics of their choices and to work in a tutorial relationship with an American studies faculty member. In this course of directed study, students will be required to produce research projects for filing in the library. PUL=5
- AMST-A 103 Topics in American Studies (1-3 cr.) Interdisciplinary consideration of various American studies topics sometimes coordinated with symposia and/or conferences sponsored by the IUPUI Center for American Studies. A103 cannot be counted as credit toward an American studies minor. PUL=1A
- AMST-A 497 Overseas Study, Derby, UK (1-4 cr.) Students participating in the exchange program with the University of Derby, UK, must register for sections of this course to receive credit for their work at the partner institution. The title of the course taken at Derby will appear on the student's transcript under this course number. Consent of instructor required. PUL=5; RISE=I
- AMST-B 497 Overseas Study, Newcastle, UK (1-5 cr.) Students participating in the exchange program with the Newcastle University, UK, must register for sections of this course to receive credit for their work at the partner institution. The title of the course taken at Newcastle will appear on the student's transcript under this course number. Consent of instructor required. PUL=5; RISE=I
- AMST-A 101 Introduction to American Studies (3 cr.)
This course introduces the interdisciplinary methods of American Studies and how they enable better understanding of American cultures and ideas. Questions of race, ethnicity, nation, nationality, class, gender, sexuality, and religion are considered in relation to American identities and communities. PUL=5
- AMST-A 341 Organizing for Social Action (3 cr.)
In this course we will study the social movements of the past and meet the activists who are working for social justice today. We will learn about the history of American protest from pre-Revolutionary days to the present in order to understand how mass organizations are created and how they can be used to realize the American ideals of liberty, equality, justice, peace, and opportunity for all.
Emphasis throughout is on bridging the academic perspective of the classroom with the practical concerns of different communities. This will be a traveling seminar, moving between the classroom and the world outside. Our class may meet at the site of a labor, senior, or other community organization, hosted by a representative of that organization. Other weeks, the organizers will come to us. Students have the option of participating in a service-learning project and reflecting on the connections between assigned readings and the practice of organizing.
Our central question will be: what can the social-action organizations of the past and present teach us about the possibilities for progressive social change in our world today? PUL=5; RISE=E - AMST-A 391 Theories and Methods of American Studies (3 cr.) P: AMST A103
The course clarifies the nature of American studies as a field of inquiry and helps students develop skills in cultural interpretation, interdisciplinary inquiry, and clear and effective written communication. The course examines the concept of culture and processes through which cultures form, change, and propagate. The course also considers the ideas of cultural pluralism, subculture, and multiculturalism. The course considers historical and contemporary methods of inquiry in American studies, providing students opportunities to apply these methods in research projects. PUL=5