| AMST 101-01 |
Racial Politics of American Popular Music
Instructor: Cotten Seiler
Course Description:
This course will consider popular music as both a reflection of and a transformative force within American culture. Beginning with the nineteenth century and continuing into our own time, we will look at (and listen to) the ways in which popular music has participated in continuing, often volatile, dialogues about racial identity and racial power in the United States, and as simultaneously shaped ideologies of gender, class, sexuality, and nation. Rather than be structured as a strict chronological survey, the course will focus on themes and issues in popular music production and consumption. In the first part of the course, we will examine theories of musical aesthetics, inquire into the sources of identity, and discuss the power of popular music to reflect and influence politics and cultural values. These discussions will give us analytical tools and historical knowledge for thinking and writing about music commerce and the genres we will discuss more specifically in the course's second half-blues, "race" music, hillbilly/country, ragtime, swing, rhythm & blues, rock and roll, folk, disco, rap/hip-hop, funk, punk, salsa, heavy metal, and "alternative."
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 303 |
| AMST 101-02 |
Gender, Sport, and American Society
Instructor: Katie Schweighofer
Course Description:
Cross-listed with WGSS 202-01. From children tossing a ball in the backyard, to middle-aged weekend warriors on tennis and basketball courts, to athletes in their prime on quests for Olympic gold, sports affect our understandings of our bodies, relationships, and larger social groups. Gender, Sport, and American Society involves the applications of the interdisciplinary study of gender - the social creation and cultural representation of femininity and masculinity - to the field of sport cultures. Class readings and discussions will consider how sports institutions and cultures operate as interlocking systems of power shaping the shifting significance of bodies, differences, opportunity, and marginalization in the US, particularly along the lines of gender, race, class, ability, and sexuality. No WGSS or AMST experience necessary.
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12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
DENNY 104 |
| AMST 150-01 |
Introduction to American Studies
Instructor: Anna Neumann
Course Description:
Introduces students to basic theories and methods used for the interdisciplinary analysis of United States and hemispheric cultural materials and to the multiplicity of texts used for cultural analysis (mass media, music, film, fiction and memoir, sports, advertising, and popular rituals and practices). Particular attention is paid to the interplay between systems of representation and social, political, and economic institutions, and to the production, dissemination, and reception of cultural materials. Students will explore the shaping power of culture as well as the possibilities of human agency.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 110 |
| AMST 200-01 |
Prisons and Policing
Instructor: Anna Neumann
Course Description:
Currently, the U.S. incarcerates a higher percentage of its citizens than any other nation. If we count parole and probation, more than 5 million US-Americans live under surveillance and supervision of the criminal legal system. As of today, almost 2 million people live in prisons and jails. In this class we ask: How did we get here, how did incarceration become so ubiquitous in American society, and where are we going? Who has benefitted historically from a punitive society and who are the ones being punished?
Needless to say, prison and policing represent persistent and fundamental challenges to American society; both have engendered notable responses including calls for abolition and reform. Throughout the semester, we will discuss and examine what the institutions of prison and policing represent in the US-American context, what work is performed through these representations, and how organizational and community efforts have responded to these particular forms of state violence.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 203 |
| AMST 200-02 |
Black Horror
Instructor: Nevil Jackson
Course Description:
Cross-listed with FMST 210-01. Horror films disturb our sense of peace. They terrify, shock, and alarm, provoking an unease that haunts the peripheries of our daily lives. Essentially, they tell us what, and whom, to fear. They are expressions of our deepest anxieties, and when examined critically, horror films can reveal societal and political concerns about race, gender, and class. So what happens when we look at the genre through the lens of Blackness in America? This course examines the history of Black representation in American horror films from the 1900s to the present. From D.W. Griffith's 1915 film Birth of a Nation to Ryan Coogler's 2025 Sinners, we'll explore the trajectory of the horror genre, how it has reflected America's anxieties, it's role in shaping perceptions of Blackness, and how Black horror films have evolved from representations of oppressive ideology to expressions of Black existential thought. Cross-listed with FMST 210. Additional time slot: Film screenings are on Wednesdays, 6pm to 9pm.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 304
06:00 PM-08:00 PM, W
ALTHSE 106 |
| AMST 200-03 |
Introduction to Documentary Film
Instructor: Nevil Jackson
Course Description:
Cross-listed with FMST 210-02. What does it mean for a film to be "nonfiction" when every choice a filmmaker makes - what to film, what to exclude, and how to edit, shapes the reality we see on screen? This course introduces students to documentary film through an exploration of its major modes: observational, expository, reflexive, performative, participatory, and poetic. We will examine how documentaries reflect the world, construct truth, and represent communities, while also confronting ethical questions that arise in nonfiction storytelling.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 313 |
| AMST 200-04 |
Feminist and Queer Disability Studies
Instructor: Charity Fox
Course Description:
Cross-listed with WGSS 202-02. This course offers an intersectional exploration of feminist and queer perspectives within disability studies, examining how disability intersects with gender, sexuality, and social justice. We will delve into the historical context of disability, tracing its representation and activism within feminist and LGBTQ+ movements. Through critical analysis of narratives and cultural texts, we will explore the lived experiences of disabled individuals, focusing on how these identities challenge and enrich our understanding of pride and resistance.Key topics include the history of disability activism, the role of allyship in fostering inclusive communities, and the narratives that shape public perceptions of disability. Students will engage with diverse voices and case studies, fostering a critical understanding of how disability intersects with other identities and movements. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to recognize and articulate the complexities of disability within feminist and queer frameworks, promoting a more inclusive and nuanced dialogue around these critical issues.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 212 |
| AMST 303-01 |
On Becoming Human: Antiblackness, Fugitivity, and Utopia
Instructor: Anna Neumann
Course Description:
In 1994, two years after the Rodney King rebellion in Los Angeles, cultural theorist Sylvia Wynter published a scathing critique of public officials, the L.A. judicial system, and their routine use of the acronym N.H.I. According to Wynter, the acronym referred to any case involving young Black males from the inner-city. N.H.I. stands for no humans involved. This is just one of countless moments when in the U.S. Black people have been imagined and treated as non-beings. In our class, we parse theories of Antiblackness and their central tenet, that the dehumanization of Black people has been foundational to the making of modernity. We also dive into ideas of fugitivity, resistance, and refusal, all of which are urgent strategies by Black communities in response to Antiblackness and its various facets. Finally, we pull in concepts of Black utopias and radical refusal to learn about black quotidian practices and visions of community, sociality, and kinship that keep informing Black utopian thought.
This seminar course develops majors' knowledge of various theoretical approaches and research methods informing American Studies. The course will develop your research skills and require a significant writing project, bridging the 200-level core courses (201 and 202) and the senior seminar sequence (401 and 402).
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 110 |
| AMST 401-01 |
Research and Methods in American Studies
Instructor: Amy Farrell
Course Description:
This integrative seminar focuses on the theory and methods of cultural analysis and interdisciplinary study. Students examine the origins, history, and current state of American studies, discuss relevant questions, and, in research projects, apply techniques of interdisciplinary study to a topic of their choosing.
Prerequisite: 303, Senior American studies major, or permission of the instructor.
|
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
DENNY 203 |