This course is a basic introduction to the study of America and its culture. The course focuses on the ideals, fears, conflicts and realities of American culture over the past centuries. This course will include a wide number of humanities disciplines (visual arts, music, drama, religion, philosophy, literature, and architecture) to explore these topics. The use of popular academic cultural theories will also be presented. This course will explore dominant cultures as well as subcultures that are prevalent in America and the way these cultures shape who we think we are as a nation.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
To increase students’ knowledge of American culture and the narratives that we construct to create a national identity, to introduce students to the methods used to study culture in the humanities, and give students the skills to apply this knowledge to analyze and understand current events and their own world.
- Cultural theories and the arguments made about how culture is formed
- The various stories that make up our collective story of American identity and the importance of those narratives on current events
- Dominant cultures and subcultures of both recent and past incarnations of the U.S. story
- The inter-related nature of politics, the arts, religion, and culture throughout the life of the U.S.
- Explain major terms and concepts of the cultural theories
- Identify and appraise dominant and major subcultures of the country
- Identify and critically evaluate cultural periods and social movements
- Develop an understanding of how ideology shapes the country and influences the society and its relation to current events
- Contrast the various subcultures and what these groups offer to the larger narrative of what it means to “be American”
Assessment and Requirements
- Students should have a variety of assessments including written essays, oral presentations, and/or multi-media/multi-genre projects
- Students will write at least one essay
- Students will complete a minimum of three methods of assessment
- This course is to be an interdisciplinary study of American culture
- While an instructor can choose a specific theme(s) to focus upon, there should be an emphasis on using multiple disciplines and various media to explore with students the story of humankind
- Instructors should consider including the subcultures that are prominent in SE Michigan and the Detroit metro area
- There should be a mix of both primary and secondary texts
Outcomes
- Humanities and Fine Arts
- Category 5: Humanities and Fine Arts