EXPLORING AMER CULT 1920-PRESENT

This course explores main currents of modern (post-1920) American culture, with a focus on popular cultural forms. An examination of the historical and cultural roots of enduring American myths such as individualism, endless abundance and success provides the theoretical framework for the course. An American Studies theoretical foundation allows students to then engage in a lively survey of select periods and themes of American popular culture over the past century. Students will examine the rise of consumerism, the centrality of the automobile and The Road as forces in American life, the ways in which race and gender are constructed through popular culture forms, and the transformative role of technology in the lives of Americans. 3 credits.