AMST1101 - 01 - Introduction to American Studies

(LI) Literary Inquiry (DM) Diversity & Multiculturalism

This course is designed to introduce students to the central concerns of American Studies as an interdisciplinary field. While using works of American literature and film as primary texts for analysis, this course employs an interdisciplinary analytical approach focused on keywords of shared interest across multiple disciplines. The keywords for study include sociolopolitial concepts such as race, ethnicity, gender, and class, as well as key historical and institutional concepts, including democracy and multiculturalism. Scholarly studies assigned draw from an array of fields, including history, sociology, communication, black studies, gender studies, and indigenous studies. Through examinations of a variety of historical events and cultural experiences, this course illuminates the complexity and diversity of American identity and history.