American Studies Courses
Archives: Fall 2008 Course Listings
These are courses from the Spring 2008 semester. Click on the course title to jump to a full description.
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| Recommended Courses in Other Departments Courses that Count Towards Tufts Requirements |
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AMER 0012-01 Race In America |
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Pre-reqs: none |
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. |
Co-listed as Hist 88 (High Demand) |
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. |
Block: ARR |
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. |
Co-listed as ENV 101 |
In 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. |
Pre-reqs: Com. Ser. / year-long course |
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. |
Co-listed as ELS 0141-01 |
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. |
Co-listed as FAH 92-04//192-04 |
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. |
Pre-reqs: Sophomore standing or consent |
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'. |
Co-listed as ANTH 183 |
This community-based research seminar integrates academic and experiential learning in an ongoing (since 2001) project documenting the history and development of Cambridge and Somerville’s Latino communities, and their interactions with other resident and new immigrant groups. In Fall 08 student research will concentrate on the arts and cultural (re)production, an aspect of Somerville’s Latino community that has not yet been documented. In collaboration with arts-related and/or immigrant-centered agencies, Tufts students will explore various forms of Latino/a cultural production (e.g. murals, music and dance) taking place in Somerville in order to interpret how and to what extent Latinos/as are contributing to maintaining their cultural heritage, and at the same time, creating opportunities for them to participate in Somerville’s active arts environment. Students working independently or in teams will identify and design an oral history-based project related to Latino/a arts-related activities; conduct and transcribe in-depth interviews with relevant individuals; and document, via photography, tape recording or video, the variety of artistic expression being created by Somerville’ Latinos/as. After analyzing and interpreting and their findings, they will present their findings to the community in a public event, and add their reports to the growing Urban Borderlands oral history archives. (See Digital Collections and Archives) |
Co-listed as ENG 91-01 |
This course considers the epistemological impact of slavery on |
Pre-reqs: Permission of Instructor |
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. |
Pre-Reqs: Taught w. AMER 199, Eng 2 |
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 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 first reader of your project frequently, and somewhat less with the second reader. If taking AMER 0198 in the fall semester, you should inform the instructor, in writing, no later than October 10, 2007, with the following:
The completed project should be given to your readers no later than Thursday, December 4, 2008. Your final manuscript should be free of misspellings and/or typographical errors. The oral defense of your SSP should be completed no later than Friday, December 12, 2008. You must file a corrected copy of your SSP at the American Studies Office no later than Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 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. |
Pre-reqs: Seniors only, Deans List Once, Eng 2 |
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 2008. Please refer to the Tufts University Bulletin for dates regarding paperwork. The completed thesis should be given to readers no later than April 9, 2009, if you are expecting to graduate in May 17, 2009. The oral defense of your thesis should be arranged by you and your committee to take place no later than April 24, 2009, 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. |