This is a listing of our course offerings for the current semester. See 2017-18
Course | Title | Cr | Time/Place | Instructor |
050:101:01 |
Introduction to American Studies Introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of American Studies. Employing literature, legal studies, film, history, visual culture, philosophy, and politics, the class will examine the concept and idea of America in its global, national, community, and bodily/psychic permutations. We will explores key themes from the past such as American exceptionalism, manifest destiny, and the search for equality and examine how these ideas have both changed and persisted as part of a national culture and identity. SAS Core Goals: AHo and AHp |
3 |
TTh 2:15-3:35pm RAB 206 (DC) |
Decker |
050:101:02 |
Introduction to American Studies Introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of American Studies. Employing literature, legal studies, film, history, visual culture, philosophy, and politics, the class will examine the concept and idea of America in its global, national, community, and bodily/psychic permutations. We will explores key themes from the past such as American exceptionalism, manifest destiny, and the search for equality and examine how these ideas have both changed and persisted as part of a national culture and identity. SAS Core Goals: AHo and AHp |
3 |
TTh 5:00pm-6:20pm TIL 257 (LIV) |
Isaac |
050:200:01 |
Latinos and Community Examines historical and contemporary formations of Latino communities in the US. Critically analyze social, cultural, geographic, political, and symbolic developments and forces that shape Latino populations in comparative perspective. The class also interacts with members of the local Latino community through cultural and civic events. |
3 |
Th 5:00-7:45P LSH A-256 (LIV) |
|
050:201:01 |
Learning from the Past: Early America and the 21st Century Early Americans faced many of the same challenges as we do in the 21st century: climate change, income inequality, rapidly changing technology, and more. This course will explore how early Americans confronted the problems of their times, and what we can learn from their successes and failures. Students will produce a portfolio of opinion essays aimed at a public audience, comparing past and present. |
3 |
MTh 12:35:1:55P RAB 105 (DC) |
Cevasco |
050:203:01 |
The American West Examines the historical development of the US and its westward expansion and its impact on contemporary American culture. Analyzes myths, legends and the historical realities of the American West, symbols and themes, as well as Western portrayal in film and television. SAS Core Curriculum Goals: AHp |
3 |
MW 1:40-3:00P SEC 210 (BUS) |
Gillespie |
050:227:01 |
19th Century American Lit & Culture Explores 19th-century American literature and culture: the struggle for cultural authority in the early republic, the emergence of middle class domesticity and sentimentalism, the search for a distinct American literature, race and the problem of slavery, the rise of industrialism, American Romanticism, Gothic, and social realism, and the emergence of a cultural hierarchy. Literary productions from canonical novels to journalism and poetry as well as cultural texts in the form of songs, paintings, sculpture, theater, and vaudeville. Examine popular and public culture, such as engagement with sport, leisure activities, and museums. Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: AHp |
3 |
MW 2:50-4:10pm FH-A6 (CAC) |
Urban |
050:228:01 |
The Contemporary American: The Global War on Terror The War on Terror, also known as the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) is a term applied to an international military campaign starting after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. This resulted in an international military campaign to eliminate Al-Qaeda and other militant organizations, such as ISIS. We will focus on two theaters of operations—Central Asia and the Middle East. By hearing from many different narrators, we will hopefully learn more about American culture in the period under discussion. We will read, watch, and listen to a variety of academic and popular sources in order to ask broader questions about what it means to be an American in today’s world. Eligible for CCRES Minor Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: AHp SCL (h,m,p) |
3 |
MTh 10:55-12:15pm RAB 001 (DC) |
Gillespie |
050:240:01 |
Latino Literature & Culture Read texts by Mexican American, Chicano and Hispanic Caribbean Diasporic writers from the 1960s until 2010. Begins with the PBS documentary “Latinos in America” and Juan Flores’s work. Then focuses on close-reading of a selection of well-known texts from the Chicano tradition and of Nuyorican, Dominican American and Cuban American texts. Topics addressed: border and hybrid identities, mestizaje, indigeneity,“la raza” and racialization, Spanglish and the limits of transculturation, the transformation of Latino gender and sexuality, and the subversion of internal colonialism in the creation of a new notion of American identity. We will also watch the following films: Selena (1997), Quinceañera (2006), Precious Knowledge (2012), Gun Hill Road(2013). Crosslisted with Latino and Caribbean Studies 01:595:240:01 Eligible for CCRES Minor Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: AHo |
3 |
MW 4:30-5:50pm HH-B3 (CAC) |
Castroman |
050:245:01 |
Asian American Experience Thorough a variety of genres, including history, literature, film and popular culture, interrogate the fluid identity categories, the dynamic and diverse experiences, cultures, and politics of “Asian American”/ “Asian Pacific American”/ “Asian Pacific Islander American” peoples in the United States. Cross listed with: 01:098:262:01 Eligible for CCRES Minor |
3 |
MW 5:00-6:20pm LSH B112 (LIV) |
K. Ramsamy |
050:246:01 |
Black Experience in America Offers an inter-disciplinary examination of the Black experience in the US focusing of the themes of acculturation, alienation, oppression and resistance. Surveys the Black experience from slavery to the present; the subject matter is not approached in a simple chronological manner. Issues and individuals discussed in the context of the struggle of African-Americans for political rights, economic justice and cultural accommodation. Begins with a brief look of the position of Africa and the fledgling United States in the emerging international economic order of the 15th and 16th centuries and how the enslavement of Africans related to economic and political processes of this era. Proceeds to examine the institutionalization of slavery in the United States and the subsequent struggles for emancipation. Attempts by African-Americans to gain socio-cultural equality and political and economic rights in the aftermath of the slave experience. Cross listed with: 01: 014:203:01 Eligible for CCRES Minor |
3 |
MW 5:00-6:20pm BE-AUD (LIV) |
E. Ramsamy |
050:259:01 |
Popular Culture Explores major themes and problems in American popular culture. Analyze and discuss a wide array of movies, videos, songs, texts, and images in an effort to understand what makes popular culture popular, how it works (or does not work) in society, what kinds of meaning it generates, and how it is received by audiences. We will use a variety of scholarly models and theoretical literature to help make sense of cultural productions that seem all too familiar but bear careful scrutiny. In addition the course will take on a special question: In what ways does popular culture shape and reflect our understandings of ourselves as human in the present age of virtuality, layered reality, mechanized intelligence, and networked identities? Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: AHo AHp |
3 |
TTh 3:55-5:15pm BIO 205 (DC) |
Backes |
050:260:01 |
On the Road: Mobility This course looks at why Americans are the most mobile people on the face of the earth and what this may say about our national character. From Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn (much of which takes place on a raft on the Mississippi) to Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, while looking at such movies as Stagecoach and Easy Rider, and while listening to the music of such artists as Bruce Springsteen (for example “Born to Run” and “Thunder Road”) we see that in our literature, movies, and music (and the other arts as well) Americans are peculiarly obsessed with movement. In this course we will hit the road together. SAS Core Curriculum Goals: AHp |
3 |
MW 2:15-3:35pm RAB 206 (DC) |
Rockland |
050:264:01 |
American Folklife: Foodways in Global Context Examines the ways that American food has been formed by the collision of people, animals, plants, recipes, and flavors from all over the globe. The course will culminate in students creating digital exhibits on individual foods in American history. |
3 |
MTh 9:15-10:35am RAB 208 (DC) |
Cevasco |
050:265:01 |
American Experience in Film and Video Survey on the history and development of the various American experimental cinema movements from its beginnings to the present. In-depth analyses of the structure and content of films by Andy Warhol, Maya Deren, Stan Brakhage, Sidney Peterson, Kenneth Anger, Bruce Baillie, Yoko Ono,and others. Emphasis on the "mise-en-scene," editing, narrative form, sound, and special effects in the films of these celebrated experimental filmmakers. Warning: some films may contain nudity, sexual situations, violence, profanity, substance abuse, and disturbing images. |
3 |
TTh 5:35-6:55pm RAB 001 (DC) |
Nigrin |
050:281:01 |
Asian American Studies Learning Community Explore and learn about the diverse array of peoples of Asian decent in the Americas, including West, South, Southeast, and East Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Examine, reflect upon, and discuss representations of Asian Americans in literature, history, politics, film, scholarship, current events, and popular culture. |
1.5 |
F 1:40-3:00pm AACC (LIV) |
Hwang |
050:283:01 |
Contemporary Arts Adventure Visits to museums, galleries, and arts centers in New Brunswick, Princeton, and New York City, as well as Off‐Broadway theatre, dance, music, and poetry readings to experience the arts of our time. We will examine the way current events are depicted in the arts, how the arts shape social values, and how the arts are interpreted by different social groupings. We will also consider the human figure in artistic representation, as well as the body as an expressive vehicle.
|
1.5 |
Sun 11:30-2:30pm SC 201 (CAC) |
Appels |
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050:283:02 |
Contemporary Arts Adventure Visits to museums, galleries, and arts centers in New Brunswick, Princeton, and New York City, as well as Off‐Broadway theatre, dance, music, and poetry readings to experience the arts of our time. We will examine the way current events are depicted in the arts, how the arts shape social values, and how the arts are interpreted by different social groupings. We will also consider the human figure in artistic representation, as well as the body as an expressive vehicle.
|
1.5 |
Sun 8:20-11:20am SC 201 (CAC) |
Appels |
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050:301:02 |
Director Spike Lee Survey the work of Spike Lee through screenings, lectures and group discussions. Students will expand their understanding of the narrative film genre as well as that of storytelling. Most importantly, this course will examine the use of film as a medium and conduit for change, conversation and understanding. Spike Lee's films, both narrative and non-narrative will be compared and contrasted for their similarities and differences. Cross listed with: 01:014:301:02 |
3 |
W 5:00-8:00pm TIL 251 (LIV) |
Grier |
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050:303:01 |
Decades: 1990s/1890s Technology, Imperialism, and Social Strife at the Centuries' Ends Explores the 1890s and 1990s, two decades that ended their respective centuries. We'll explore, among other topics: the Massacre at Wounded Knee, the Chicago World Fair, the War of 1898, and, somewhat more recently, the First Gulf War, grunge, the golden era of Hip Hop, NAFTA, and the LA uprising/riots. This course will include numerous films, music, creative projects, and what will surely be lively discussions! As someone from the 1990s might say, it promises to be the bomb. Eligible for CCRES Minor |
3 |
MW 5:35-6:55pm RAB 208 (DC) |
Urban |
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050:313:01 |
America as a Business Culture Examines social, cultural and political underpinnings of economic constructs such as money, the market, and consumption. Issues include debt in America, as illustrated by the high amounts of credit card debt many Americans have and the increasing numbers of Americans declaring bankruptcy. We will also delve into the political economy of higher education, identifying the factors that contribute to the continuing rise of tuitions, why colleges and universities engage in what is referred to as an “arms race,” and what is meant by the commodification of education. We will also analyze the culture of Wall Street, and the changing landscape of retirement in America. |
3 |
MTh 9:15-10:35am HCK 205 (DC) |
Prisock |
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050:316:01 |
Twenty-First Century Expressions: On and Off the Net Investigate the particularities of American popular culture since the year 2000. Through texts that frame issues including race, gender, sexuality, and patriotism, we will engage new media, advertising, and pop music that frame American global identity in the 21st century Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: 21c, AHp |
3 |
MW 2:15-3:35pm HSB 204 (DC) |
Moomjy |
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050:318:01 |
Money and Modern America What is money? For economists, money is a medium of exchange, something that makes it easier for us to trade with each other. But for most Americans, “money” is the primary cultural metaphor though which we talk and represent wealth, income, inequality, materialism, and consumption. What do people really mean when they talk about money: how much and why? We will debate whether “you gotta have shitloads of money” (Liz Phair) or “mo money” actually equals “mo problems” (Biggie Smalls). Discuss various money-related ethical dilemmas, from the meaning of an “honest day’s work” to the gray areas of bribery, insider dealing, and profiting from the misery of others. |
3 |
TTh 7:15-8:35pm HCK 202 (DC) |
Decker |
050:324:01 |
Wayward Americans Examine our understandings of what it means to be “normal,” with particular focus on physical, mental, and behavioral norms. Some questions we will consider are: “How do we determine who or what is normal? Has the definition of normal remained consistent over time and place? How is normalcy measured? And by whom? How important is context – geographic location, social and cultural background, age, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion – when determining normalcy? By examining various groups that have been described as: different; weird; deviant; abnormal; beyond the pale; on the fringe – including the “feeble-minded,” religious fanatics, criminals, and “sexual deviants” – we will seek to understand the historical, sociological, and psychological frameworks that have rendered these groups outside of mainstream American society.
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3 |
M 7:15-10:05pm HSB 206 (DC) |
Zemla |
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050:330:01 |
Cults and Communes America, throughout its history, has been home to a great variety of religious and communal experimentation. This course will argue that, in a sense, all religions and many communal experiments began as “cults.” Over time, such experiments often become “respectable” and enter mainstream culture. For example, just in recent years a Mormon was the Republican candidate for president and even Scientology is now called “The Church of Scientology” and enjoys the tax breaks which come with the designation “church.” We will look at some of the efforts to create an alternative society in such communes as the 19th Century Oneida Community and the 1960s The Farm. We will also look at truly bizarre religions and communal experiments such as Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate that ended in mass suicide. Professor Rockland has been a guest visitor/writer at various cults and communes, and his novel, “A Bliss Case” is about a Rutgers professor who joins a cult (not autobiographical).We will also see a number of highly controversial feature and documentary films focused on some real and other imaginary cults and communes. |
3 |
MW 3:55-5:15pm RAB 206 (DC) |
Rockland |
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050:344:01 |
Islam In/And America Examines the history and presence of Islam in the United States, and the construction and evolution of U.S. Muslim identity, community, and culture. In our contemporary moment, “Islam” is perhaps the most misunderstood term in the national lexicon, and stands at the heart of numerous cultural and political debates about “who we are” as a nation. Islam’s presence in the Americas stretches back four centuries, to when over one third of African slaves forcibly transported here were Muslim. At the start of the 20th century, the religion forcefully re-emerged amongst Black American communities in urban centers in the North such as Chicago and Detroit. Examines the diverse historical presence of Muslims in the United States, alongside representations and stereotypes of Islam and Muslims in media and popular culture. Representations of Black American Muslims and U.S. Muslim women. Eligible for CCRES Minor |
3 |
TTh 1:10-2:30pm LLB 104 (CAC) |
Chan-Malik |
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050:359:01 |
Race, Culture, and Politics: Blacks and Jews in America Exploration of the complexities of how black and Jewish religious, political, and cultural identities have evolved in relationship to one another via an examination of social and political history, literature, and film. Cross-listed with History 01:512:359; Jewish Studies 01:563:359:01 and Africana Studies 01:014:359:01: Blacks and Jews in American History. Eligible for CCRES minor |
3 |
T 10:55-1:55pm RAB 018 (DC) |
Fishbein |
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050:389:01 |
Junior Seminar: American Families Examines the evolution of American families from colonial times to the present. We will consider the impact of religion, region, race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexual orientation on family formation and culture and will explore such issues as representation, memory, and the ideology of family life. Readings, films, photography, and discussions will emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to the development of American familial cultures and will include both primary and secondary sources. The Junior Seminar will focus on providing students with preliminary training in analytical and methodological skills necessary to pursue a research project in American Studies. Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: WcD |
3 |
M 9:15a-12:15pm HCK 126 (DC) |
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050:389:02 |
Junior Seminar: The Rise and Fall of the American Middle Class This course examines the history of the middle class as a social position and ideological creation in the United States. We begin with the emergence of a powerful and self-conscious middle class in the first half of the nineteenth century and conclude with the prolonged crisis (real and imagined) of the middle class over the past fifty years. Satisfies Core Curriculum Goals: WcD |
3 |
T 5:35-8:35pm RAB 018 (CD) |
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050:485:01 |
Honors in American Studies |
BA |
BA |
Backes |
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Satellite Campuses:
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050:317:A1 | The Changing American Family in 20th Century America: A Study in Law and Culture |
T 3:00-5:40pm ACCC |
Furman |
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050:302:A1 | American Horror |
Th 3:00-4:20pm ACCC |
McElhinney |
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050:303:A1 | Decade in American Culture: The 1990’s |
Th 4:20-5:40pm ACCC |
McElhinney |
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050:302:W1 | American Horror |
T 7:20-8:40pm WM |
McElhinney |
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050:310:W1 | Approaches to American Studies |
T 6:00-7:20pm WM |
McElhinney |
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050:316:R1 | 21st-Century Expressions: On and Off the Net |
T 3:00-5:40pm RVCC |
Moomjy |