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AMST203
Junior Colloquium: Constructions of Culture
AMST203 SP
Not Currently Offered
This junior colloquium examines the construction of a
dominant national culture in the antebellum United States
and explores its relationship to constituent subcultures and
oppositional cultures. The transformation of colonial
society will be compared with related processes of cultural
reorganization among Native American peoples attempting to
retain a separate identity within the new nation. The
seminar introduces a variety of theoretical conceptions of
culture and considers a range of artifacts that can be
used to reconstruct a cultural past. Special emphasis will
be placed on the built environment and material culture, on
developing distinctions between popular and high culture,
and on gendered representations of the new social order.
MAJOR READINGS
Richard Bushman, THE REFINEMENT OF AMERICA
Cathy Davidson, REVOLUTION AND THE WORD
Karen Haltunnen, CONFIDENCE MEN AND PAINTED WOMEN
Anthony Wallace, THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF THE SENECA
William McLoughlin, CHEROKEES AND MISSIONARIES
Susan Davis, PARADES AND POWER
Joy Kasson, MARBLE QUEENS & CAPTIVES
Selections from Erving Goffman, THE PRESENTATION OF THE SELF
IN EVERYDAY LIFE; E.H. Gombrich, THE IMAGE AND THE EYE; Mary
Douglas, PURITY AND DANGER; and Pierre Bourdieu,
DISTINCTION.
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Two short papers and a final
research project will be required. Participation in seminar
discussion will be reflected in the final grade.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
Unless
preregistered students attend the first class meeting or
communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first
class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE:
Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the
Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Seminar
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level: UG Credit: 1.00
Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS HIST
Prerequisites:
HIST235 or HIST236 or AMST154 or ENGL204
Last Updated on MAR-22-1999
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