American Studies Courses

In this interdisciplinary, team-taught course we will examine, in depth, some of the means by which “Americans” are made and unmade.  We will begin by mapping the legal/juridical and social constructions of raced identities in the U.S. alongside the histories and lived experiences of people of African and Asian descent.  We will explore, for example, the ways that these groups have been aligned with and pitted against each other as they are positioned within those spaces (institutional, national, familial, etc.) that shape, confer, demand, and withhold access. 
We will read non-fiction, theoretical texts, short stories, and novels and we will view film and other visual texts in our exploration of institutional and other forces and counter forces that go into (un)making “American” identities.   Topics may include: Reading Race/Reading Rodney King and Sa-I-Gu, Affirmative Action, racial violence & hate crimes, coalition building, National/International and Transnational and transracial adoption patterns. 

The most enduring comedies draw laughter from our deeply embedded values and may incorporate and inspire social criticism.  Our class on comic cinema will examine three vital stages of maturation:  adolescent angst and pathfinding (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Rushmore), adult coupling and desire (After Hours, Buffalo ’66, The Big Lebowski), and the untangling family unit (Raising Arizona, Desperately Seeking Susan, The Royal Tenenbaums).  Much attention will be given to film techniques such as camera movement, editing, and lighting.  We will also cover how Hollywood continues to exert industry control over international film distribution.  The course grade will be based on an oral presentation made with another student, two papers, and an in-class exam.  Pre-requisite:  English 2 or the equivalent.  Seriocomic Cinema has been approved for both the Mass Communications & Media Studies minor and the Film Studies minor.

Students who wish to do internships under American Studies should enroll in AMER 0099 for their internship for course credit. Normally, these internships are for American Studies majors. Internships are available in a wide range of public and private organizations and institutions (e.g., media, museums, social service agencies). In most cases, the student will make the arrangements with the organization so that one person will be supervising the student and overseeing the internship work. It is expected that the student will be working a minimum of 12 hours per week. The supervised fieldwork will provide the student with the opportunity to better understand the work environment and issues facing the particular organization. The student should meet approximately three times with the Director of American Studies (or another Tufts faculty member) to discuss the fieldwork, goals, and effectiveness of the organization. (E-mailing the director or faculty member several times during the semester is an acceptable alternative to meeting in person.) If a student wishes to receive a letter grade instead of Pass/Fail, he/she must keep a journal, and write a 10-page paper which will be submitted for a grade to the Tufts faculty member overseeing the internship.

Continuation of year-long course begun in Fall, 2009

This course is designed for students interested in exploring active citizenship in a Boston urban community setting and who wish to deepen their involvement with the community through public service and community advocacy. Each student will intern in a community organization throughout the academic year. Course materials will focus on: 1) the history and contemporary issues of the community, e.g., new immigrant experiences and rights, sustainable development, etc.; 2) the role of the ?outsider with something to offer a community;? and 3) improving skills for building coalition within a community. Speakers from the community and the university will discuss how they create vision and sustain commitment to community work. Boston?s Chinatown is the site for participation. 2 credits upon of completion of this year-long course, including all meetings, classes, and service commitments.

Since the inception of the American film industry, U.S. Latinos have been (mis)represented in Hollywood feature films intended primarily for non-Latino audiences. In this course, students will examine how images of Latinos and their communities have been constructed in Hollywood films produced from the silent era to the present. Students will contrast these images with those constructed by Latino filmmakers when they began making films in the 1970s, contesting Hollywood stereotypes with more accurate and nuanced constructions of their communities. Weekly film viewings illustrate how filmmakers of different ethnic/racial/national backgrounds employ cinematic images to express their views on issues relevant to the Latino experience such as immigration, language choice, changing gender roles, racial and ethnic identity, and inter-ethnic relations. Readings will familiarize students with the emergent body of Latino-produced film criticism.

Interdisciplinary introduction to African American dance for the concert stage in its aesthetic and historical context from the 17th century to the 21st century, with major focus on developments, dancers, and choreographers of 20th century United States. Influence of biological determinism, medical history, race, and racism on the opportunities for dancers and public reception of dance.  Influence of African American concert dance and artists-as-activists on social-political trends. Influence of contemporary issues of biological determinism, race, and racism on the context of contemporary dance.  Choreographers and companies include Dunham, Ailey, Jones, Dance Theater of Harlem. Discussion and video viewing are major elements of many class sessions. 

This class will be organized around thematic investigations of the political policies and socioeconomic processes that contain and inform urban schooling.  Students will explore a political economy of schooling related primarily to race and class, with opportunities to explore gender, language, and so on. Specifically, we will examine the ways in which policies and practices, such as the racialization of welfare and the legalization of Whiteness, inform school policies and practices, including funding, governance, and so on. Students will engage an interdisciplinary body of scholarship framed by Critical Race Theory.

Students wishing to do an independent study project related to their cluster topic before initiating their SSP/HT must find an adviser and sign up for AMER 193. No more than one Independent Study course can count towards the cluster.

Analysis of the production, dissemination, and consumption of the most important forms of popular music--mambo, boogaloo, salsa, conjunto, corrido, banda, contemporary rock, and rap--listened to and danced by U.S. Latinos from World War I to the present. Readings, films, and recordings examine the historical and social contexts from which these musical forms have emerged, highlighting the intricate relationship between popular music, migration, and the formation of social and cultural identities.

This course is a survey of indigenous peoples of North America, including their aboriginal practices, technologies, economics, societies, and beliefs. It will dispel stereotypes of the Indian by introducing students to a multitude of indigenous peoples on the continent.  Through critical reading, writings, discussions, films, lectures, and possible field trip students will gain a wider awareness of the changing legal and political landscapes affecting the Native American community from pre-colonial times to the present.

The US is in the midst of the most significant influx of immigrants in its history. More than one in ten Americans is foreign born, and together with their children make up almost a quarter of the US population. How will these newcomers impact the form and function of American democracy? Yet, while this topic is timely given our current political context, those well versed in the literature would note that, as a nation of immigrants, the debates surrounding today's hot-button issue are neither novel nor unique, but rather reflect a larger story of American political development. Indeed, immigration has not only been responsible for the changes in the country's demographic makeup but has also presented continuing political challenges to our notions of equality, citizenship, pluralism and racial formation. Throughout this semester we will examine the central question: what are the political causes and consequences of immigration policy on American politics?

The Senior Special Project (SSP) will include a preparation of an analytic essay, a research paper, or a project such as an oral history, a life story, a film, or a play. The SSP may also be based, in part, on a documented internship, or on leading an Exploration. The SSP should utilize more than one disciplinary approach and should seek to develop connections and integration among the disciplines employed. Detailed information is available in the American Studies office.
The completed project should be given to your readers no later than Thursday, April 22, 2010. Your final manuscript should be free of misspellings and/or typographical errors. The oral defense of your SSP should be completed no later than May 3, 2010. You must file a corrected copy of your SSP at the American Studies Office no later than May 13, 2010, one day before the end of final exams. It is your responsibility to meet these deadlines, which will allow for relatively minor revisions, if necessary.

Continuation of year-long course begun in Fall, 2009

This Senior Seminar, which provides support and guidance for seniors in the process of completing their Honors Thesis, is open only to American Studies majors with permission to continue their Senior Honors Thesis research into the spring. Participation in the seminar is required for all American Studies seniors undertaking the Senior Honors Thesis. For seniors expecting to graduate in May 2010, the completed thesis manuscript should be submitted to readers by Friday, April 9, 2010. The oral defense should be arranged by the student and his or her committee to take place no later than Thursday, April 29, 2010, at which time it will most likely be graded. The final Honors Thesis manuscript should be free of errors. Remember, it is the student's responsibility to meet these deadlines and to file a copy with Digital Collections & Archives in Tisch Library and also email a copy to Kathy Spagnoli in the American Studies office.