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AMST3323:
Theories and Methods of American Studies
OSU
Tulsa Spring 2006
Professor Stacy Takacs
Course
Description
This
course surveys the history, theory, and methods of the discipline
known as American Studies. Unlike your other American Studies
courses, this one requires you to think consciously about the
ways you undertake the analysis of cultural and social phenomena.
We will address such questions as: What is American Studies?
What is its history? What is the proper subject matter of American
Studies inquiry? How have its methods of analysis changed over
time? Evaluation for the course will be based on a series of
on-line discussion postings and response papers designed to
teach you the critical thinking skills necessary to be a successful
"organic intellectual," that is, a person capable
of learning about and evaluating the contours and contexts of
American culture. You will also be asked to lead discussion,
with a partner, at least once during the semester. The culminating
project for the class will be the creation of a research plan
and literature review related to a cultural topic of your choice
(This assignment anticipates the Senior Seminar in which you
will write a lengthy research essay on a topic you define and
refine in consultation with your advisor).
By the
end of the course, you should be able to:
- Recognize
and recall the main authors, ideas, methods, and movements
of the American Studies discipline.
- Analyze
primary source materials to determine their messages in relation
to a particular historical context.
- Ask
compelling questions about American culture, questions that
go well beyond the "who, what, where" of reportage
into the how, why and what for" of critical thinking.
- Read
and evaluate secondary source materials to determine their
messages and merits.
- Negotiate
differing academic opinions.
- Carve
out an intellectual space for yourself in academic debates
about a subject.
- Utilize
the library and its electronic databases to aid in your research.
- Integrate
and cite source materials using proper technique and adhering
to the citation style manual put out by the Modern Language
Association (MLA).
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Required
Texts
Arlene Davila,
Latinos Inc.
Henry Nash Smith, Virgin Land
Lucy Maddox, Locating American Studies
A selection
of readings available in the "Course Materials" folder
of Blackboard. These readings will be marked by an asterisk. |
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Course
Policies and Requirements
Attendance
and Participation: Students are expected to attend every class
and participate actively in class discussions, both real and virtual.
I want to be able to remember each and every one of you from something
you have said in class, office hours, e-mail, or on-line that
makes a constructive contribution to the class.
Excessive
absence may result in a failing grade for the course, and
more than one unexcused absence is excessive! Absences
will be excused only for dire illness and family emergency,
both of which must be substantiated by documentation (a Dr's
note, a funeral notice, etc.). For each absence over one, you
will be docked 10 points from your participation grade; you
will also forfeit the right to earn extra credit by posting
additional discussion responses.
Active
participation means:
- You
will have read the materials and completed any writing assignments,
including on-line assignments, before you arrive in class.
- You will
bring the days reading materials with you to class so that you
may refer to them.
- You will
engage with and respond to your peers during both large and
small group discussions and during on-line assignments.
- You will
listen attentively to every speaker and respond respectfully
to the ideas of others.
- You will
exhibit a deliberate effort to apply, extend, and challenge
concepts that we generate in class.
- You will
demonstrate your curiosity and willingness to ask questions,
advance comparisons, and make observations.
On-Line
Discussions: Every week, you will have the opportunity to
respond to a set of discussion topics related to the day's readings.
These will be posted in the "Discussion Board" section
of Blackboard. You must post at least 10 responses over the
course of the semester.
Response
Papers: You will write five 2-3 page response papers.
You will be asked to analyze primary sources and/or to apply the
insights from secondary source readings to a primary text. The
specifics of each assignment can be found in the "Assignments"
folder of Blackboard. Deadlines are listed on the Schedule of
Readings. No late response papers will be accepted.
Research
Essay and Oral Presentation: You will write an 8-10 page research
essay that examines a cultural topic related to the study of America;
ideally, you should select a topic you would like to work on in
greater depth for your senior seminar paper (those of you who
have already taken the seminar will have to identify a new topic).
There will be specific minimum requirements for the research portion
of the assignment, which you must adhere to in order to
pass this assignment. Details will be available in the Assignments
folder of Blackboard. You will present your preliminary findings
orally during last week of classes and submit the final essay
in lieu of your final exam in this class. See Schedule of Readings
for due date.
Academic
Honesty: All work you turn in for this class must be your
own work. The unacknowledged use of another's materials (either
words or ideas and including virtual discussions and web pages)
is called plagiarism. We will discuss how to avoid plagiarism,
including the proper citation of source materials. Since we will
be covering MLA citation style and strategies extensively in class,
unintentional or accidental plagiarism related to faulty
citations will result in a failing grade on that assignment.
Intentional plagiarism will result in a failing grade
for the course and possible referral to the Dean's office
for disciplinary action. Consult OSU's Code of Student Conduct
for more information. |
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Grade
Breakdown
| Participation
& Discussion Postings |
10%
(100 points) |
| Response
Papers |
50%
(500 points; 100 per assignment) |
| Oral
Presentation for Research Essay |
10%
(100 points) |
| Literature
Review Essay |
30%
(300 points)
|
| Total |
100% |
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Course
Schedule
- Do all
assigned reading before you come to class and be prepared to
discuss with questions or comments in mind.
- Selections
starred with an asterisk can be found in the "Course Materials"
folder of Blackboard.
- Selections
that are hyperlinks (bright blue and underlined) can be found
by clicking on the link.
Weeks
1-5 | Weeks 6-9 | Weeks
10-13 | Weeks 14-16
Defining
Our Objects of Study: What is America? What is Culture?
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| 1/12 |
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Special American Conditions: The Myth-Symbol Approach
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| 1/19 |
H.N.
Smith, "Can American Studies Develop a Method?"
in Maddox
*Leo Marx, "American Studies: A Defense of an Unscientific
Method"
*Jack Conroy, "Uncle Ollie's Spite Fence"
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| 1/26 |
Henry
Nash Smith, Virgin Land, Prologue and Parts 1-2 (pp.
3-120)
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| 2/2 |
Henry
Nash Smith, Virgin Land, Part 3 (pp. 123-260)
Due:
Response Paper #1: Evaluating Secondary
Sources (See Assignments Folder for details)
|
| 2/9
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Library
Tour and Database Workshop (Meet in the Library)
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The Myth-Symbol Approach Evolves: Historical
Contextualization
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| 2/16 |
Gordon
Kelly, "Literature and the Historian" in Maddox
*Michael Denning, Mechanic
Accents, "Introduction" and chapters 1-2 (pp.
1-26)
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| 2/23 |
*Michael
Denning, Mechanic Accents,
chapters 3-5 (pp. 27-84)
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| 3/2 |
*Michael
Denning, Mechanic Accents,
chapters 6 & 10 (pp. 85-117, 185-200)
Due:
Response Paper #2: Analyzing Texts
in Historical Context (See Assignments Folder for details)
<pick recent film, research its public, production, thematics:
what can be learned about the narrative? What can
be learned from the narrative about its public or production
context?)
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| Studying
Material Culture: Historical Archeaology and American Studies
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| 3/9
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*Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi, "Why We Need Things"
*James Deetz, "Recalling Things Forgotten"
*Candace Volz, "The Modern Look of the Early 20th
Century House"
*Roland Barthes, "Toys"
Due:
Response Paper #3: Show and Tell: Analyzing
Material Culture (See Assignments Folder for details)
|
| 3/16 |
Class
Cancelled—Spring Break
|
| Ideological
Analysis: Race and Ethnicity in American Studies
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| 3/23 |
Alexander
Saxton, "Blackface Minstrelsy & Jacksonian Ideology"
in Maddox
*David Roedigger, "Work, Culture and Whiteness in Industrializing
America"
*Selections from Minstrel Theatre
Screening:
Ethnic Notions, Dir. Marlon Riggs
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Ideological Analysis II: Feminist Interventions in
American Studies
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| 3/30 |
Nina
Baym, "Melodramas of Beset Manhood" in Maddox
*Joan Scott, "Gender: A Useful Category of Historical
Analysis"
Janice Radway, "The Utopian Impulse in Popular Literature"
in Maddox
Due:
Response Paper #4: Analyzing Race, Class
and Gender Dynamics in Am. Culture (option: analyze the
organization of exhibits at Greenwood Cultural center)
|
| New
Theoretical Approaches: Cultural Studies and American Studies
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| 4/6
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Gene
Wise, "'Paradigm Dramas' in American Studies"
in Maddox
George Lipsitz, "Listening to Learn and Learning to
Listen" in Maddox
Screening:
Stuart Hall's Representations
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The Social Sciences and American
Studies
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| 4/13 |
Arlene
Davila, Latinos Inc., "Introduction" +
Chaps. 1-3
Visit
the following sites for a basic introduction to sociological
research methods:
http://sociology.camden.rutgers.edu/main.htm
http://www.sociology.org.uk/ctheory.htm
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| 4/20 |
Arlene
Davila, Latinos Inc., Chaps. 4-7
Due:
Response Paper #5: Collecting and Analyzing
Social Data (See Assignments Folder for details)
|
| 4/27 |
Due:
Oral Research Presentations (10-15 minutes, outlining
your research and findings)
|
| 5/4 |
Due:
Research Plan and Literature Review Essay |
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