Sites of the Self: Maps, Gardens, Houses: An Introduction to American Studies
AMST 178
Fall 2018
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01
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We are where we are. We make ourselves out of the places we create and inhabit. This course examines three of the artifacts/sites central to culture: maps, gardens, and houses. Each attempts to reveal an immaterial ideal in a material form. Maps give a "god's eye" view of the world's totality; gardens recreate lost paradises; and houses embody their inhabitants. Using literature, images, and film, we will discuss global maps--from medieval mappamundi to satellite imagery; visions of paradise, celestial and earthly; private and public gardens, emphasizing the central role of Frederick Law Olmstead; and ideas about houses, ranging from the 19th century designer and horticulturalist Andrew Jackson Downing to the 20th century Buckminster Fuller, often credited as the originator of the geodesic dome, one example of which is Spaceship Earth at Epcot Center, in Walt Disney World. We will end with an examination of the recent proliferation of design shows on Home and Garden TV. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AMST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| 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
Subject to modification; please consult the Wesleyan/R.J. Julia Bookstore for final list
Drawing the Line: Tales of Maps and Cartocontroversy, Mark Monmonier
On the Road, Jack Kerouac
A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmstead and America in the 19th Century, Witold Rybczynski
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard
The House of Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two essays, midterm, final exam |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
In-class oral presentation |
| Instructor(s): Karamcheti,Indira Times: ..T.R.. 01:20PM-02:40PM; Location: FISK302; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 40 | | SR major: 5 | JR major: 10 | | |
| Seats Available: 14 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: 20 | FR: 5 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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