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Academic Year 2005/2006


Junior Colloquium: Cultural Studies and American Studies
AMST 204 FA

The aim of our colloquium is to place some contributions of British cultural studies and American studies in a critical dialogue with one another. From this critical exchange we will develop a more rigorous grasp of cultural theory and a more complex understanding of what is at stake in cultural criticism and cultural history. Topics include the concepts of ideology, hegemony, and contradiction; the theorizing and historicizing of forms of subjectivity; Marxist theories, feminist theories, antiracism work. Numerous exercises (including a field trip) and analyses of texts (literary, historical) will put our theoretical work into practice.

MAJOR READINGS

Terry Eagleton, WHAT IS IDEOLOGY? and THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEORY, AFTER THEORY
Cornel West, THE DILEMMA OF THE BLACK INTELLECTUAL
Leroi Jones, (Amiri Baraka) THE DUTCHMAN AND THE SLAVE
Joel Pfister, THE AMERICANIZATION OF CULTURAL STUDIES
Carroll Smith-Rosenberg, SEX AS SYMBOL IN VICTORIAN PURITY
Thomas Laqueur ORGASM, GENERATION, AND THE POLITICS OF REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Barbara Kruger, WE WON'T PLAY NATURE TO YOUR CULTURE
James Kavanagh, IDEOLOGY
Roland Barthes, MYTHOLOGIES
William Cronon, CHANGES IN THE LAND: INDIANS, COLONISTS, AND THE ECOLOGY OF NEW ENGLAND
Benjamin Franklin, AUTOBIOGRPAHY
Max Weber, THE PROTESTANT ETHIC AND THE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM
Michael Wallace, VISITING THE PAST: HISTORY MUSEU MS IN THE UNITED STATES
Chris Weedon, FEMINIST PRACTICE AND POSTSTRUCTURALIST THEORY
Spike Lee, DO THE RIGHT THING (film)
Michael Moore, FAHRENHEIT 9/11 READER (book) plus Fahrenheit 9/11 (film)
Sut Jhally, HIGHJACKING CATASTROPHE (book), plus Highjacking Catastrophe (film)

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Three five page papers plus some exercises. Each student will take a turn at leading class discussion.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Only American Studies majors may take this course.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS AMST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: [HIST235 or AMST236] OR [HIST236 or AMST255] OR [ENGL203 or AMST155] OR [ENGL204 or AMST156]

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Pfister,Joel    
Times: ...W... 07:00PM-09:50PM;     Location: CRT271SEM;
Reserved Seats:    (Total Limit: 18)

Special Attributes:
Curricular Renewal:    Ethical Reasoning, Writing
Permission:    Permission of Instructor Required
POI forms will be distributed by the instructor during the browsing period of pre-registration and must be submitted to the Registrar's office prior to the on-line registration appointment
Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006


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