Junior Colloquium: Cultural Theory and Analysis
AMST 209
Spring 2015
| Section:
01
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In this course we will interrogate the ways in which we come to understand cultural representation and theories of social and political power within the field of American studies. We will analyze forms of representation using an array of theoretical and textual methods, from economic and class theories, to visual theory to feminist studies and critical race analysis, to theories of virtuality and freakery. We will engage with both highly dense theoretical pieces, as well as more popular cultural texts, such as film, comics, documentaries, and websites. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AMST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 75% - 89% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Required Texts
John Berger, WAYS OF SEEING
Karl Marx, THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
Richard Dawkins, THE GOD DELUSION
Michelle Alexander, THE NEW JIM CROW
Readings on Moodle will include:
James Scott, BEHIND THE OFFICIAL STORY
Spike Lee, BAMBOOZLED (2001)
Karl Marx, WAGE LABOR AND CAPITAL
Friedrich Engels, THE ORIGIN OF THE FAMILY
Ruth Kinna, WHAT IS ANARCHISM?
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, PROPERTY IS THEFT
Peter Kropotkin, ANARCHIST MORALITY and MUTUAL AID (selections)
Christopher Hitchens, RELIGION KILLS
James Scott, BEHIND THE OFFICIAL STORY
Che Guevara, SOCIALISM AND MAN IN CUBA
Jack Forbes, COLUMBUS AND OTHER CANNIBALS (selections)
Martin Luther King Jr., LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL
Arundhati Roy, DO TURKEYS ENJOY THANKSGIVING?
Audre Lorde, THE MASTER'S TOOLS WILL NEVER DISMANTLE THE MASTER¿S HOUSE, POETRY IS NOT A LUXURY, and THE TRANSFORMATION OF SILENCE INTO LANGUAGE
Emma Goldman, THE TRAGEDY OF WOMAN'S EMANICPATION
Margaret Sanger, MY FIGHT FOR BIRTH CONTROL
Simone de Beauvoir, THE SECOND SEX
Betty Friedan, THE PROBLEM THAT HAS NO NAME
Marilyn Frye, THE PROBLEM THAT HAS NO NAME
Barbara Welter, THE CULT OF TRUE WOMANHOOD: 1820-1860
Carrie Cokely, SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME
Gayle Rubin, THINKING SEX
Rosemarie Garland Thomson, INTRODUCTION: FROM WONDER TO ERROR--A GENEALOGY OF FREAK DISCOURSE IN MODERNITY
Elizabeth Grosz, INTOLERABLE AMBIGUITY: FREAKS AS/AT THE LIMIT
Michael Warner, THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL
QUEER NATION MANIFESTOS
Virginia Blum, I WANT A FAMOUS FACE AND THE ILLUSIONS OF STAR CULTURE
Henry David Thoreau, WALDEN (selections)
Dave Foreman, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-WARRIOR (selections)
John Zerzan, FUTURE PRIMITIVE
Lee Daniels, PRECIOUS (2009)
Dorothy Roberts, THE WELFARE DEBATE
THE BELIEVER (2001, dir. Henry Bean,)
W.E.B. DuBois, OF OUR SPIRITUAL STRIVING
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Examinations and Assignments:
Students will write a midterm paper (5-7pg), lead a class discussion, and write a longer final essay (12-15pg). |
| Instructor(s): Grappo,Laura Times: ..T.... 07:00PM-09:50PM; Location: CAMS 1; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: -1 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 1 | Unranked: 1 |
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