American Cultural Studies

The material on this page is from the 1995-96 catalog and may be out of date. Please check the current year's catalog for current information.

Professors Turlish (English), Branham (Rhetoric), Taylor (English); Associate Professors Brinkley (Sociology and Women's Studies)(on leave, winter semester and Short Term) and Creighton (History), Chair; Assistant Professors Nero (Rhetoric), Carnegie (Anthropology), and Chin (English); Mr. Jensen (History) and Ms. Gordon-Mora (Political Science)

American Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to understand the differences and commonalities that inform changing answers to the question "What does it mean to be an American?" Courses offering diverse methods and perspectives help to explore how self-conceptions resist static definition, how cultural groups change through interaction, and how disciplines transform themselves through mutual inquiry. The centrality of courses in African American studies helps provide a lens through which to view how groups of Americans see themselves and each other and how American institutions have constructed such differences as race, gender, class, ethnicity, and sexuality. Seen as such, the critical study of what it means to be American relies not on fixed, unitary, or absolute values, but rather on dynamic meanings that are themselves a part of cultural history. Respecting diverse claims to truth as changing also allows them to be understood as changeable.

The major in American cultural studies requires ten courses in addition to a senior thesis. There are three required introductory courses: an introduction to African American history, a course introducing race, ethnicity, and gender as analytical categories, and a course introducing interdisciplinary methods of analysis. Seven courses in addition to the thesis should be chosen from middle- and advanced-level courses in American cultural studies or African American studies. These electives should include advanced courses in at least two disciplines and constitute a coherent area of concentration. In addition, one course should study the African diaspora, one course should use gender as a primary category of analysis (all core courses in women's studies may fulfill this requirement), and one course should have an experiential or fieldwork component. The proposed area of concentration and sequence of courses should be worked out with the faculty advisor and approved by the fall semester of the junior year. All majors must complete a senior thesis (see American Cultural Studies 457 or 458 below).

Courses
250. Interdisciplinary Studies: Methods and Modes of Inquiry. Interdisciplinarity involves more than a meeting of disciplines. Practitioners stretch methodological norms and reach across disciplinary boundaries. Through examination of a single topic, this course introduces students to interdisciplinary methods of analysis. Students examine what practitioners actually do and work to become practitioners themselves. Topic for 1996: Sex and Citizenship. This course is the same as African American Studies 250 and Women's Studies 250. Prerequisites: any two courses in women's studies, African American studies, or American cultural studies. Open to first-year students. Mr. Nero. W

360. Independent Study. Independent study of selected topics by individual students. Students must meet periodically with faculty and complete papers or projects. Written permission of the instructor is required. Staff.

457, 458. Senior Thesis. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, all majors write an extended essay that utilizes the methods of at least two disciplines. Students may register for either 457 (fall) or 458 (winter); honors students register for 457 and 458. Staff.

Anthropology 101. Social Anthropology. Mr. Danforth, Staff. F W
Anthropology 234. Myth, Folklore, and Popular Culture. Mr. Danforth. W
Anthropology 250. Caribbean Societies: Emergence of Post-Nationalism. Mr. Carnegie. F
Anthropology 253. Western North America: Native Cultures, Histories, and Environments. Mr. Jenkins. F
Anthropology 275. Gender Relations in Comparative Perspective. Ms. Eames. W
Anthropology 322. First Encounters: European "Discovery" and North American Indians. [Mr. Bourque].
Anthropology 333. Culture and Interpretation. Mr. Jenkins. W
Anthropology 335. The Ethnographer's Craft. Mr. Carnegie. F
Anthropology 336. Ethnohistory of the Andes. Mr. Jenkins. F
Anthropology 339. Economic Anthropology. Ms. Eames. W
Anthropology 347. New World Archeology. Mr. Bourque. W
Anthropology 370. Post-Emancipation Societies. Mr. Carnegie. W
Anthropology s21. Cultural Production and Social Context, Jamaica. Same course as English s21. [Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Chin].
Anthropology s23. Environment and Environmentalism: Native and European Land Use in the American West. Mr. Jenkins.
Anthropology s25. Ethnicity, Bilingualism, Religion, and Gender: Topics in Ethnographic Fieldwork. Mr. Danforth.
Anthropology s32. Introduction to Archeological Fieldwork. Mr. Bourque.

Art 283. Contemporary Art. Ms. Rand. F
Art 284. American Art. Ms. Rand. W
Art 361. Museum Internship. Ms. Corrie. F, W
Art s25. American Architecture: Bates College. [Staff].
Art s29. Just View It: Popular Culture, Critical Stances. Ms. Rand.

Biology 200. The Social Context of Science. [Mr. Minkoff].

Economics 245. The Economics of Wealth, Poverty, Race, and Gender. [Mr. Murray].

Education 231. Perspectives on Education. Mr. Wortham. F W
Education s21. Perspectives on Education. Staff.

English 121. Colloquia in Literature. Fall Colloquia, 1995: Reading Race and Ethnicity in American Literature. Mr. Chin.
English 141. American Writers to 1900. Mr. Turlish. F
English 152. American Writers Since 1900. Mr. Turlish. W
English 241. American Fiction. Mr. Turlish, Ms. Taylor. W
English 250. The African American Novel. Mr. Chin. F
English 294. Storytelling. Ms. Taylor. F
English 395. Junior-Senior Seminar. Seminars for fall semester 1995: Frost, Stevens, and Williams, Mr. Farnsworth; Dissenting Traditions in Twentieth-Century American Literature, Ms. Taylor; seminar for winter semester 1996: Caribbean Literature, Mr. Chin.
English s17. Sexual Harassment and the U.S. Senate's Thomas-Hill Hearings. Ms. Malcolmson, Ms. Brinkley.
English s21. Cultural Production and Social Context: Jamaica. Same course as Anthropology s21. [Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Chin].
English s23. Beatniks and Mandarins. A Literary and Cultural History of the American Fifties. Mr. Turlish.

First-Year Seminar 014. African American Enslavement. Mr. Carignan. F
First-Year Seminar 153. Race in American Political and Social Thought. Ms. Hill. F
First-Year Seminar 187. Hard Times: The Economy and Society in the Great Depression. Ms. Williams. W

French s32. The Cultures of Martinique. Mr. Williamson.
French s35. French in Maine. [Ms. Rice-DeFosse].

History 140. Origins of the New Nation, 1500-1820. Mr. Leamon. F
History 141. America in the Nineteenth Century. Ms. Creighton. F
History 142. The Republic, Industrial and Imperial, 1890-1980. Mr. Jensen. W
History 181. Latin America. Ms. Chomsky. F
History 240. Colonial America, 1660-1700. Mr. Leamon. W
History 241. The Age of the American Revolution, 1763-1789. Mr. Leamon. W
History 243. African American History. Mr. Jensen. F
History 247. The Social History of the Civil War. [Ms. Creighton].
History 260. Topics on the Left: A History of American Radicalism. [Mr. Carignan].
History 261. American Protest in the Twentieth Century. Mr. Jensen. F
History 281. Social History of Central America. Ms. Chomsky. W.
History 283. Latinos in the United States. Ms. Chomsky. W
History 342. The United States in the Sixties and Seventies. [Mr. Beam].
History 345. The American West. [Ms. Creighton].
History 349. Black America in the Twentieth Century. Mr. Carignan. W
History 390. Junior-Senior Seminar. Seminars for fall semester 1995: U.S. Relations with Latin America, Ms. Chomsky; Historical Perspectives on Early America, Mr. Leamon; Seminars for winter semester 1996: Gender and the American Civil War, Ms. Creighton; The Nixon Presidency, Mr. Beam; Currents in Modern American Intellectual History, Mr. Jensen.
History s19. Origins of the Cuban Revolution. Ms. Chomsky.
History s24A. The Civil-Rights Movement. [Mr. Jensen].
History s25A. Japanese-American "Relocation" Camps. [Ms. Hirai].
History s26. Brazilian Slavery Through Documents. [Ms. Chomsky].
History s42. Historical Archeology. [Mr. Leamon].

Music 246. American Music: Imaginary Landscapes. Mr. Matthews. W
Music 247. Jazz and Blues: History and Practice. [Mr. Matthews].
Music s26. Jazz: History and Practice. [Mr. Matthews].
Music s29. American Musicals on Film. [Mr. Matthews].

Political Science 115. American Government and Public Policy. Mr. Hodgkin. W
Political Science 118. Law and Politics. Mr. Kessler. F
Political Science 211. American Parties and Elections. Mr. Hodgkin. W
Political Science 217. The American Presidency. [Mr. Hodgkin].
Political Science 227. Judicial Power and Economic Policy. [Mr. Kessler].
Political Science 228o. Constitutional Freedoms. Mr. Kessler. W
Political Science 235. Black Women in the Americas. [Ms. Hill].
Political Science 249. Politics of Latin America. Ms. Gordon-Mora. W
Political Science 276. American Foreign Policy. [Mr. Richter].
Political Science 310o. Public Opinion. Mr. Hodgkin. F
Political Science 322e. American Legislative Behavior. [Mr. Hodgkin].
Political Science 325. Constitutional Rights and Social Change. Mr. Kessler. W
Political Science 329. Law and Gender. Mr. Kessler. W
Political Science 374. The Latin Caribbean. Ms. Gordon-Mora. F
Political Science s20. Environmental Politics. Staff.
Political Science s21. Internships in Community Service. Mr. Kessler.
Political Science s23. Organized Interests and American Democracy. [Mr. Hodgkin].
Political Science s25. Labor, Class, and Community Action. Mr. Corlett.

Psychology 210. Social Psychology. Mr. Wagner. F
Psychology s20. Drugs and Society. Ms. Lopes.

Religion 216. American Religious History, 1550-1840. [Mr. Bruce]. F
Religion 217. Religion in the American Experience. Mr. Straub. W
Religion 247. City Upon the Hill. [Mr. Bruce].
Religion 306. Seminar on American Religious Thought and History. [Mr. Bruce].
Religion s24. Religion and the City. Mr. Bruce, Mr. Avram.
Religion s27. Field Studies in Religion: Cult and Community. [Mr. Tracy].
Religion s28. Fundamentalism. [Mr. Bruce].

Rhetoric 255. Moving Pictures: The Rhetoric of Committed Documentary. [Mr. Branham].
Rhetoric 275. African American Public Address. Mr. Nero. F
Rhetoric 278. The Rhetoric of Nuclear Culture, 1939-1964. Mr. Branham. F
Rhetoric 386. The Language and Communication of Black Americans. [Mr. Nero].
Rhetoric 390. Contemporary Rhetoric. Mr. Branham. F
Rhetoric s20. Performance of African American Literature. Mr. Nero.

Sociology 236. Urban Sociology. Mr. Cowan. F
Sociology 240. Race and Ethnicity in the United States. Ms. Brinkley. F
Sociology 250. Rural Society in the United States. [Mr. Cowan].
Sociology s17. Sexual Harassment and the U.S. Senate's Thomas-Hill Hearings. Ms. Brinkley, Ms. Malcolmson.
Sociology s26. Urban Transformations: A Tale of Three Cities. Mr. Cowan.

Spanish 215. Readings in Spanish American Literature. Ms. Rosman. F
Spanish 250. The Latin American Short Story. [Staff].
Spanish 255. Re-Writing Modernity in Contemporary Latin American Fiction. Ms. Rosman. W
Spanish s33. Women, Nation, and Literary Culture in Latin America. Ms. Rosman.

Theater 215. Popular Performance in Urban America: 1820-1920. [Staff].
Theater 225. The Grain of the Black Image. [Mr. Pope.L].
Theater 226. Minority Images in Hollywood Film. Mr. Pope.L. F
Theater 250o. Twentieth-Century American Dance. Ms. Plavin.
Theater 252e. Twentieth-Century American Dance II. [Ms. Plavin].
Theater s28. The Living Stage: Theater in New York. [Mr. Andrucki].
Theater s29. Dance as a Collaborative Art. Ms. Plavin.

Women's Studies 201. African American Women and Feminist Thought. [Ms. Brinkley].