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AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES (L98)  (Dept. Info)Arts & Sciences  (Policies)SP2021

L98 AMCS 206Reading Culture: The Visible and Invisible: Introduction to American Visual Culture3.0 Units
Description:The poor are the "unseen" multitudes, the Ku Klux Klan is the "Invisible Empire," W.E.B. Du Bois's African American culture exists "behind the veil," gay men and women come in and out of "the closet," terrorists lie hidden in "sleeper cells"-these are just a few of the common visual metaphors used to describe the complex forces and subjects that make up U.S. culture. Despite its status as metaphor, however, visuality shapes our relationship to American society in very real ways. To become visible in the eyes of the state is to access citizenship, to become a full member of the social world. In this course, we will encounter a variety of cultural texts that figure identity through visibility. From narratives of haunting in U.S. culture to spectacular displays of national identity and accounts of minority groups insisting on the right to be seen, we will look to the moments in American culture when the question of visibility has been most crucial. The course is arranged thematically and will feature both primary texts as well as classic and contemporary work in the field of American Studies. Possible topics include: the theory and practice of Holy Land tourism in the nineteenth century; antebellum hoax culture; the relationship between lynching and mass media; documentary accounts of natural disasters from the San Francisco earthquake to Hurricane Katrina; queer representation in popular media; the rise and fall of the Vine app; the rhetoric of terrorist "sleeper cells"; oppositional mythologies of the "white working class" and "undocumented" immigrants. The semester will culminate with a discussion of the globalization of American Studies alongside a serial viewing of the first season of the acclaimed drama series, Homeland (2011). American Culture Studies (AMCS) is a multidisciplinary program that provides both a broader context for study in different fields and a deeper understanding of American culture in all of its complexities.
Attributes:A&S IQHUMArchHUMArtCPSC, HUM, VCBUHUMENH
Instruction Type:Remote per COVID-19 Grade Options:CP Fees:
Course Type:HomeSame As:L18 206BFrequency:Every 2 Years / History
SecDays       TimeBuilding / RoomInstructorFinal ExamSeatsEnrollWaits
01-T-R---2:30P-3:50PRemote / LA MaciakPaper/Project/Take Home16160
Desc:Remote. Synchronous once a week.
REG-DelayStart: 1/25/2021   End: 5/13/2021
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Home/Ident

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A “Home” course is a course that is created, maintained and “owned” by one academic department (aka the “Home” department). The “Home” department is primarily responsible for the decision making and logistical support for the course and instructor.

An “Ident” course is the exact same course as the “Home” (i.e. same instructor, same class time, etc), but is simply being offered to students through another department for purposes of registering under a different department and course number.

Students should, whenever possible, register for their courses under the department number toward which they intend to count the course. For example, an AFAS major should register for the course "Africa: Peoples and Cultures" under its Ident number, L90 306B, whereas an Anthropology major should register for the same course under its Home number, L48 306B.

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Q=ME Q (Medical School)

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