American Studies Course Listings

Archives: Fall 2007 Course Listings

These are courses from the Fall 2007 semester. Click on the course title to jump to a full description.

In 1903, the famous African American scholar and activist W.E.B. DuBois said, "The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line." Many people today believe that race will continue to be "the" issue of the 21st century. In this course, we will examine the meanings of race in modern America, analyze the root causes and consequences of racist ideologies, and discuss current and future activist approaches to the issues raised by racist theories and practices. Our study will be multicultural in focus, with attention being given to Asian American, Native American, African American, European American, and Latino/a perspectives. Questions we will ask will include: How is race defined in the USA? Who defines it? How is it experienced? Who experiences it? What is its role in our lives as individuals, members of groups and of society at large? The course will be interdisciplinary, emphasizing in particular social science and arts/humanities approaches; and active student participation will be an important component.

This course is designed to examine the implicit foundations of national whiteness in the US. Particular attention will be given to the theoretical, philosophical, and ideological studies of the 'non-minority'. Through an in-depth examination of literary, scientific, and visual texts, students will explore the disbursement of the 'minority' and the 'non-minority' figure within the socio-political framework of the U.S. We will investigate the meanings of an American histology of race by examining late 19th century and early 20th century definitions of 'whiteness' and 'otherness'.

This course integrates academic and experiential learning in a community-based research project documenting the history of Somerville and Cambridge’s immigrant communities.  Because there are few if any written sources on the history of these communities, students’ research entails conducting in-depth interviews with community leaders and residents, active within local formal and informal institutions.  In this way, students will familiarize themselves in a personal, experiential way with the individuals and institutions which are gradually reconfiguring the urban landscapes of Greater Boston.  The voices that emerge from these populations and the goals and structures of their organizations and networks will offer students entirely new data sources and points of reference as they, over the course of the semester, become active participants in some of the most heated debates of our decade: international migration, globalization, and the maintenance of a democratic multicultural society.

Pre-requisites and requirements:  This course is designed primarily for juniors and seniors; preference will be given to Anthropology and American Studies majors.  Students must contact Professor Jennifer Burtner Rangel for permission to take the course (Jennifer.Burtner@tufts.edu).  Students must be willing to travel regularly to field sites in Somerville and/or Cambridge to conduct research. While proficiency in the community/target language is preferred, it is not required.

From the end of the American Civil War to the present, the emergence of baseball in the US reflected the evolution of urbanization, immigration, race, the labor movement, entrepreneurial capitalism, crime, and legal precedents that reached the Supreme Court. Baseball has been a mirror of the times; that reflection continued through the 2oth century in the Progressive Age, World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, World War II, the coming of Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, the shifting and expansion of franchises. In 1953, exactly fifty years afer the formation of Organized Baseball into two leagues with eight teams in each, the geographic and demographic revolution began that took major league baseball from coast to coast. Eventually, this led to the elimination of the Reserve Clause, the beginning of free agency, and the thirty professional teams today that represent "The National Pastime." We will examine baseball both inside and outside the lines: how it was played, who played it, and the place of this children's game in the American psyche. Finally, we will also survey the 160-year history of the US as the background for the forces that created this quintessential American game.

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.

most Native American languages there is no word for “art” and yet native people from across Indian America have, from earliest times to the present, created objects of great beauty, for specific uses within their indigenous communities. In this course, we will, when not violating native privacy or sacred beliefs, examine the contextual meanings of objects that non-natives refer to as fine art, focusing on their deep cultural significance as well as their creation process, styles and intrinsic beauty. Presentations and discussion will be divided into a study of selected tribes and their work, and include the Ancient Southwest (Annasazi, Hohokam, Mimbres); the Pueblos, the Dine (Navajo), the Ancient Midwest, the Atlantic Coast (Penobscot, Passamaquoddy), the Lakota, and the Kwakiutl. The study of each nation will include pre-contact fine art; the so-called “traditional” arts; the so-called 19th century “souvenir” arts; and modern art. The development of Pan Indian contemporary art, including painting, sculpture and photography will also be studied.

Many works of Native American fine art created for use within a specific cultural context have been removed from their original communities and re-interpreted by outsiders. As part of this course, we will also evaluate the roles that native and non-native collectors, anthropologists, art historians and museum professionals have and continue to play in the collection, exhibition and interpretation of Native American fine art.

Classes will include slide lectures and the study of actual objects; videos of native artists; the discussion of issues; one or more guest speakers; and field trips to local museums and collections.

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.

In this course you will learn how to apply business skills to the solution of public problems.  You will learn how to: find new solutions; communicate effectively with clients and funders; build a strong organization; turn idealism into action; and develop a business plan to address a public problem of your choosing. The course will feature case studies and meetings with prominent social entrepreneurs who will offer their perspectives on how to create  revolutionary change.

This course analyzes representations of the Latin American and Latino body in art and popular media in the U.S. In the midst of debates about immigration and national security, the Latina/o body persists as a fetish in the U.S. imagination, in films, advertisements, and in the commodification of artists like Frida Kahlo, Shakira, J. Lo, Juanes, and Daddy Yankee. We will undertake a critical examination of the embodiment of the Latina/o body as different, considering how difference (racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation), though seeming natural, is linked to power relations and inequalities. Alternately, we will also consider self-expression and radical articulations of difference as a form of political dissent. Historical examples will be considered, but emphasis will be on the twentieth century, situating the phenomena in cultural and political context.

Occasionally, students opt to do an advanced project or independent study one on one with a professor, and this is where a student would register for this. As its number reflects, this is an upper level course, mostly for (but not limited to) seniors. This is an opportunity for a student to continue doing research, writing, performance, etc., on a particular subject that otherwise might have ended upon completion of a course taken in a regular semester. This has to be arranged with the instructor with clear guidelines for the depth and scope of the project, including time frame. Questions? Stop by the American Studies Office for further details.

"You've been hoodwinked. You've been had. You've been took. You've been led astray, run amok. You've been bamboozled." - Malcolm X

This course will investigate African-Americans’ encounters with the movies from 1915 through the present. Rather than a comprehensive social history, our class is a survey that will rely on a diverse array of films and reading to get a sense of how, as scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has observed, “black history was, in part, made at the movies.” Our focus will not only be on the ways in which African Americans (and race more generally) have been represented by American film, but also on how African-American actors, filmmakers, and audiences have shaped the history of moviemaking and moviegoing. More than a simple case of being “bamboozled,” this course will reveal how African Americans successfully intervened in the racist patterns of the dominant culture.

Using Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled (2000) as a starting point, this course will help students gain a more nuanced understanding of how African Americans have experienced and influenced American film history. At the same time, this class aims to help students hone their skills in analyzing and writing about films, and to place their understanding of film within a larger domain that constitutes “the movies” as both an institution and an experience.

The Senior Special Project (SSP) will include a preparation of an analytic essay, a research paper or project such as an oral history, a life story, a film, or a play. Your SSP may also be based, in part, on a documented internship, or leading a Freshman Exploration. The SSP should utilize more than one disciplinary approach and should seek to develop connections and integration among the disciplines employed. The SSP, which will count for one course, will begin in the first or second semester in the senior year. The Senior Seminar (which refers to AMER 0109, or 0199) is mandatory, and students are required to attend every class meeting. Before undertaking your actual project, you should make arrangements with two faculty members (one from American Studies and one other faculty person), to be a committee for your SSP. Further, you should arrange for you and your committee to meet as soon as possible to start work on your SSP. At this meeting, be prepared to discuss tentatively the scope of your project and to define the approaches you plan to take. In order to enable your readers to offer specific suggestions and criticism before your project is too far advanced for such suggestions to be helpful, you should supply each reader with a preliminary outline several days in advance of the first meeting. You should plan to meet with the director of your project every two weeks; somewhat less often with the second reader. If you feel that you need additional consultations during the semester, feel free to arrange them with one or more readers. For AMER 0109 in the fall semester, you should inform the instructor, in writing, no later than October 10, 2007, the following:

• The title of your project
• A brief description of your SSP
• The members of your committee and the name of the chairperson

The completed project should be given to your readers no later than Thursday, December 6, 2007. Your final manuscript should be free of misspellings and/or typographical errors. The oral defense of your SSP should be completed no later than December 14, 2007. You must file a corrected copy of your SSP at the American Studies Office no later than December 20, 2007, 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.

Students who wish to intensely pursue an area of investigation in American Studies and whose name has appeared once on the Dean's List prior to senior year may be admitted to the Thesis Honors Program. This represents an extra dimension to an already substantial commitment of a Senior Special Project and it should be undertaken only by students who are willing to invest an extraordinary effort that will result in an original thesis of very high quality. Prior to enrolling in AMER 0199, a student should give a great deal of thought to this decision and plan to meet with faculty advisors in the junior year. More details about the Honors Thesis may be found in the Tufts University Bulletin. American Studies students wishing to pursue the honors thesis must register for AMER 0199, a two-credit course, for both semesters of the senior year. Students who are planning to be away from campus for all or part of their junior year should know that they need three professors willing to serve on their committee with one selected as chairperson, and they should try to have at least two of their professors' acceptances prior to departing campus. Students interested in completing an honors thesis should register by spring of 2007. Please refer to the Tufts Bulletin for dates regarding paperwork. The completed thesis should be given to readers no later than April 9, 2008, if you are expecting to graduate in May, 2008. The oral defense of your thesis should be arranged by you and your committee to take place no later than April 24, 2008, at which time it most likely will be graded. Your final manuscript should be free of errors. Remember, it is your responsibility to meet these deadlines and to file one copy with the Archive Department at Tisch Library, and leave a final copy in the American Studies office.