American Studies (Archive 2018-2019)

4.00

This course offers a basic introduction to American culture and society through the study of American History. The city of Boston and its extraordinary history and institutions will be at the heart of the class and students will frequently visit sites close to the campus. Topics will focus on areas such as the way people from different cultures have understood and misunderstood each other; the evolution of American politics and political institutions; the American Revolution and the founding documents and institutions of the United States; the distinct forms of American religion, American literature and the American economy; slavery and race in American society; the rise of America to world power; the changing role of women; the New Deal and the rise of the modern welfare state; immigration; the development of popular culture; and the meaning of Donald Trump. This course fulfills te core requirement for the American Studies Minor. Enrollees in the Minor program may not register for AMST-111 Defining America and Americans.

4.00

Examines artistic, social, and political imaginings of America and Americans. We will read works by American and foreign observers of the United States to ask how Americans define themselves and how others see them. Course assignments will introduce students to themes, perspectives, and methods in the field of American Studies. This course fulfills the core requirement for the American Studies Minor. Enrollees in the Minor program may not register for AMST-101 American History and Culture.

4.00

Surveys American painting, sculpture, photography and architecture from the colonial period through WWII. Considers works by artists such as Smibert, Copley, West, Stuart, Whistler, Sargent, Eakins, Homer, Ryder, Bierstadt, Cole, Inness, Sloan, Sullivan, Wright, Hopper, O' Keefe, Dove, Hartley, Bellows, Stieglitz, Weston, and Steichen.

4.00

Introduces students to the Reconstruction era in American history, and uses Reconstruction as a bridge to look at enslavement, which preceded the era, and the issue of freedom during, and after the era. In the first half of the class students read from texts that will provide them with an understanding of slavery, emancipation and reconstruction. The second half of the class will utilize on-line collections of the Freedman's Bureau Papers to allow students to use documents to deepen their understanding of the Reconstruction era. The class will also provide a comparative approach by considering questions of citizenship in the 19th century for people of African descent in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. This course is identical to HST 469.

English Majors and Minors or Instructor Permission

4.00

Study of major American writing from its origins through 1865. Regularly assigned essays on reading provide the basis for individualized instruction in clear, correct, and persuasive writing. Offered every semester.

English Majors and Minors or Instructor Permission

4.00

Study of major American writing from 1865 through the present. Regularly assigned essays on reading provide the basis for individualized instruction in clear, correct, and persuasive writing. Offered every semester.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

In-depth exploration of American Realism from the post-Civil War era to the pre-WWI era (roughly 1875 to 1915). Particular emphasis is given to the role of houses and material and consumer culture in the forging of American identity. Authors may include Howells, Twain, James and Wharton among others. Normally offered alternate years. Students will also visit authors' houses in the Boston area. This course requires prior approval in order to count towards the Women's and Gender Studies Minor. Students should consult with the instructor and the director of the WGS Minor no later than the first week of classes.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

An investigation of the lives and works of two of nineteenth-century America's greatest and most original poets. Topics will include types of poetic language and formal structure, the work of the poetic imagination in transforming observations of the world into art, and the ways in which poets process the idea of death and the reality of war. Finally, this course examines Whitman and Dickinson's impact on American popular culture as well as on the writings of modern poets and literary critics.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

African-American writing from the beginning through the present. Normally offered alternate years.

WRI-102 or WRI-H103

4.00

An introduction to selected Asian-American writers with an emphasis on socio-cultural issues, such as race, gender and ethnicity. Authors include Bulosan, Hwang, Jen, Kingston, Lee, Mukherjee, Odada, and Tan.

GVT 110 or GVT 120 or instructor's permission

4.00

This course will provide an examination of the institutions involved in the American policy-making process. The student will learn about the presidential system that exists in the United States. The course will focus on a relationship between the President and Congress and how that relationship impedes or facilitates the public policy process, including the budgetary process. The course will include a discussion of the president's role as head of the executive branch, and the implementation of congressional policies. Attention will be given to the role of the judiciary in the policy process. Normally offered every year.

GVT 110 AND GVT 120 OR INSTRUCTOR'S CONSENT

4.00

Perspectives on the role and problems of the presidency in American political life; the nature and difficulties of presidential influence and effectiveness, presidential authority within our system of government, and the impact of presidential character. Normally offered alternate years.

GVT 281 and GVT 261

4.00

A decision-making approach to understanding the domestic and institutional context of U.S. foreign policy. Includes analysis of continuity and change since WWII using case studies of critical decisions, e.g., Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, etc. Not open to freshmen. Prerequisites: GVT 110, GVT 120, GVT 261 or instructor's consent. 1 term - 4 credits. Normally offered every year.

Junior Status required

4.00

This course examines how American governmental institutions, political actors, and processes have both shaped and responded to one of the most significant and complex issues of public policy facing the nation: immigration to the United States. This class will explore a number of intriguing and difficult policy topics related to the almost unprecedented level of immigration that the U.S. has been experiencing. The focus of the class will include the following: admissions, citizenship, deportation and detention (including that of suspected terrorists), refugee/asylum law, and highly contested issues of today, such as definitions of citizenship, immigrant rights, and border enforcement. A major objective of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to conduct their own original research in American politics by delving into some aspect of immigration as a public policy issue.

This course will have a service learning component Junior Status required

4.00

From Rio to the Boston Harbor Project, this course examines the policies and politics of the environment. It examines the origins of the environmental movement in the United States focusing on the development and present function of government and non-government organizations responsible for the development and implementation of global, national, state and local environmental policies.

4.00

Examines the history of Africans in the United States from their arrival in the colonies to the Civil War and the end of legal slavery. Topics examined include: the development of the slave system, African-Americans, and the Declaration of Independence, and the abolition movement.

4.00

Examines African American history from the end of slavery to the twenty first century. Topics examined include: Emancipation and Reconstruction, Reconstruction and the Constitution, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, and African-Americans at the start of the twenty-first century.

4.00

Explores the history of the United States from 1810 to 1910. Students study the growth of American institutions, the rise and effects of a market society, westward expansion and Indian affairs, the enlivening of U.S. civic ideals, debates over free labor and slavery, the causes and effects of the Civil War, post-Civil War redefinitions of citizenship, immigration, Progressivism, and the nation's entry on to the world stage.

4.00

Surveys the history of the U.S. as a world power. Examines officials' motives and methods, as well as influences on policy in the form of social and economic forces, interest groups, and foreign challenges. Explores public debates over America's role (as well as debates among historians and international relations theorists), and discusses the domestic and foreign impact of America's world role. Major events addressed include the two world wars, the Cold War, Vietnam, and the U.S. recent history of involvement in the Middle East.

4.00

Using music as a window this class explores the history of Black America as well as the history of all America. Through a combination of texts, videos, and recordings this class examines the music of Black America, from it's African roots to hip hop in the 21st century. This will be done in the context and communities in which black music was created and performed, and also in relationship to the wider world.

4.00

Addresses social, intellectual, and cultural developments as well as politics and economics; foreign relations (and their connection to the domestic scene) are also discussed. Topics include: the labor movement, civil rights, woman suffrage, progressivism, the rise of the U.S. as a world power, the First World War, the cultural and social crosscurrents of the nineteen-twenties, Fordism, new developments in advertising and industrial engineering, the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II.

4.00

American history in the decades immediately following World War II. Topics include the origins of the Cold War, McCarthyism, the emergence of a consumer society, the growth of the suburbs, the Civil Rights movement, the new women's movement, Vietnam, and the political upheavals of the 1960s.

4.00

Examines the transformation of America in the decades since the early nineteen-seventies, taking up social, intellectual, and cultural developments as well as politics and economics; foreign relations (and their connection to the domestic scene) are also emphasized. Topics include: Watergate, the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the end of the post-World War II economic boom, the culture wars, the rise of the New Right and decline of the New Deal order, the end of the cold War, America's growing involvement in the Middle East globalization, the impact and aftermath of 9/11, and the Great Recession of the early twenty-first century.

Permission of the Instructor required.

4.00

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) rose from relative poverty and obscurity to become one of the most powerful and successful men of his century. Examines the political, scientific, and literary, an diplomatic cultures of the eighteenth century by focusing on Franklin's life, reading Franklin's Autobiography, and selections from his political, scientific, and satirical writings. This is an Honors-level course.

4.00

Working with historic houses in Boston, students will learn that art of interpreting history. Using collections, archives, and other repositories, students will research the houses and the people who lived in them. Many of these houses have existed from colonial times and had various uses. Formerly:HST 368 Introduction to Historical Interpretation.

4.00

Traces the roles, images and experiences of women in America from colonial times to 1865. Topics include the family, work, religion, education, health care, motherhood, sexuality, social and political activism legal status, labor activism and popular culture. With attention to ethnicity, race, class, age, region of residence, disability and sexual orientation, the course focuses primarily on the everyday lives of ordinary women.

4.00

Explores the founding and settlement of North America; the social, economic, and political development of European colonies and their interactions with Native People; the social religious, and cultural world of early America; witchcraft, slavery, and warfare; the British-French struggle for control of the North American continent; and the background and causes of the American Revolution.

One History course

4.00

Boston from its foundation in 1630 to its development as a 21st century metropolis. From the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to cradle of the American Revolution, to a Yankee merchant capital, Brahmin cultural center,and immigrant melting pot. When offered in the hybrid format, this course will meet at the regularly-scheduled time, but lectures and other course materials will be available on the course Blackboard site in case you cannot attend.

Sophomore Standing Required

4.00

Investigates the development of American constitutional government, from the political crisis of the 1780s to the Civil War. The problems of individual liberty versus government power; state rights; race and slavery; war powers; pluralism.

Permission of Instructor Required

4.00

Explores the history of the United States from perspectives of some of America's racial and ethnic groups. Through readings, writings, and discussions students will examine the history of difference and diversity in the United States.

4.00

Introduces students to the Reconstruction era in American history, and uses Reconstruction as a bridge to look at enslavement, which preceded the era, and the issue of freedom during, and after the era. In the first half of the class students read from texts that will provide them with an understanding of slavery, emancipation and reconstruction. The second half of the class will utilize on-line collections of the Freedman's Bureau Papers to allow students to use documents to deepen their understanding of the Reconstruction era. The class will also provide a comparative approach by considering questions of citizenship in the 19th century for people of African descent in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. This course is identical to BLKST 469.

4.00

Examines the impact of organized reform movements on American history from the 1800s to the twenty first century. In each era presented, students will explore the various dynamics that impact reform.

4.00

Surveys American music from Colonial times to the present; various attempts to create an indigenous musical style; vernacular and art music genres including folk, concert, and religious music, jazz and musical theatre; includes music of Billings, Amy Beach, Ives, Copland, Bernstein, and Libby Larsen. Normally offered yearly.

4.00

Follows the evolution of jazz from blues and ragtime through Dixieland, Swing, Bebop, Cool, Latin, Modern, Free, Fusion, and Avant-Garde to Post-modern expressions of the present; the contributions of major soloists, arrangers, composers, leaders, and bands. Normally offered every year.

4.00

This course is an examination of Native American (Indian) religious experience, both the similarities and differences among the myths and rituals of the major tribes which comprise the background of our nation's history of Western migration and "settlement." The emphasis will be on understanding how life was experienced by these peoples through a close look at the philosophical meanings of their mythology and ethics. 1 term - 4 credits. Normally offered alternate years. C a

PSYCH 114

4.00

Studies the social determinants of the behavior of individuals in relation to groups and surveys current research findings in such major content areas as attribution, prejudice, conformity, obedience, social cognition, interpersonal attraction, altruism, and aggression. Normally offered every semester.

4.00

What happens if you commit a crime on an Indian reservation? Who will prosecute you and how will they punish you? This course will explore the roots of tribal legal systems and criminal law, both the Native and American influences. You will gain an understanding of tribal government, legal systems, criminal law, and the role of tradition in contemporary tribal law. The course will also examine the conflict between Native and Non-Native perspectives on several cases: sovereignty, rights to cultural practices, women, freedom of religion, and land.

4.00

Despite the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, race remains one of the most divisive forces in U.S. society. While many of us struggle against racism, racial classification continues to affect where we live, where we work, and how we see ourselves. Racial classification affects our access to health care and our encounters with police officers. Distorted images of racial groups fill television and movie screens. Appeals to racism and fear of foreigners are dominant themes in elections to state and national offices. This course examines the formation and re-formation of racial classifications: how particular groups become racially identified, how these classifications change over time, and how conflicts over race have shaped American society. The meanings of race, as seen from a variety of perspectives, will be a consistent theme throughout the course.

4.00

This course examines the complex relationships between women and crime today. This focus will include women as criminal offenders; women as victims of crime; and women as both offenders and victims. Course materials draw from recent feminist scholarship on these issues in the social sciences. Topics include the causes of women's crime women, drugs, and crime; child abuse and trauma; prostitution and sex trafficking; race, gender and victimization; and feminist social movements against violence. Crimes of violence against women are a central focus in the course.

4.00

This course offers a basic introduction to American culture and society through the study of American History. The city of Boston and its extraordinary history and institutions will be at the heart of the class and students will frequently visit sites close to the campus. Topics will focus on areas such as the way people from different cultures have understood and misunderstood each other; the evolution of American politics and political institutions; the American Revolution and the founding documents and institutions of the United States; the distinct forms of American religion, American literature and the American economy; slavery and race in American society; the rise of America to world power; the changing role of women; the New Deal and the rise of the modern welfare state; immigration; the development of popular culture; and the meaning of Donald Trump. This course fulfills te core requirement for the American Studies Minor. Enrollees in the Minor program may not register for AMST-111 Defining America and Americans.

4.00

Examines artistic, social, and political imaginings of America and Americans. We will read works by American and foreign observers of the United States to ask how Americans define themselves and how others see them. Course assignments will introduce students to themes, perspectives, and methods in the field of American Studies. This course fulfills the core requirement for the American Studies Minor. Enrollees in the Minor program may not register for AMST-101 American History and Culture.