American Culture : Regions and Ethnicities
Instructor : Philippe Codde
Offered: First semester
Course description:
This course consists of two parts: “The American Sense of Place” and “Ethnicity in American Culture". The former is an exploration of how the American landscape and its representations have changed over the course of time. It specifically considers the different myths created about the
various regions in the US (the North-East, the South, the Midwest, and the West) and how these myths (about the Garden of Eden, the plantation system, the Garden of the World, Manifest Destiny, the frontier, the mythological status of the cowboys, the Indians, ...) are perpetuated or criticized in literary texts, paintings, films, and music. The second part, “Ethnicity in American Culture” discusses the impact of ethnicity in American society, based on a number of key concepts (race vs. ethnicity, ethclass, the melting pot, multiculturalism, ...) and a brief historical overview of the different ethnic groups (Native Americans, African Americans, European immigrants, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, ...). Students will have a chance to further explore any subject dealt with, or left unexplored, in this course for their personal research assignment (class presentation + final paper).
Teaching Method: Lectures and class discussions.
Evaluation: Reading Reports (10%), presentation (20%) and final paper (70%).
Course materials: A course Reader will be provided for students to purchase.
Offered: First semester
Course description:
This course consists of two parts: “The American Sense of Place” and “Ethnicity in American Culture". The former is an exploration of how the American landscape and its representations have changed over the course of time. It specifically considers the different myths created about the
various regions in the US (the North-East, the South, the Midwest, and the West) and how these myths (about the Garden of Eden, the plantation system, the Garden of the World, Manifest Destiny, the frontier, the mythological status of the cowboys, the Indians, ...) are perpetuated or criticized in literary texts, paintings, films, and music. The second part, “Ethnicity in American Culture” discusses the impact of ethnicity in American society, based on a number of key concepts (race vs. ethnicity, ethclass, the melting pot, multiculturalism, ...) and a brief historical overview of the different ethnic groups (Native Americans, African Americans, European immigrants, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, ...). Students will have a chance to further explore any subject dealt with, or left unexplored, in this course for their personal research assignment (class presentation + final paper).
Teaching Method: Lectures and class discussions.
Evaluation: Reading Reports (10%), presentation (20%) and final paper (70%).
Course materials: A course Reader will be provided for students to purchase.
