| American Studies |
AMST 444B - New Orleans: Place, Meaning, and Context
Credits:
4.00
Course uses literature, essays, film, music, debate, and
discussion, to explore the topics of place, history,
people, politics, art and literature, and music. Lectures,
discussion, assignments, and group projects will touch on
issues regarding race, poverty, power, social mobility,
gender roles, crime, corruption, energy, and the
environment. Writing intensive.
AMST 444D - History Behind Everyday Life
Credits:
4.00
This interdisciplinary course focuses on the history and
culture of the United States at the turn into the
twentieth century: the period from 1885-1915. Emphasis is
as much on the methods of historical studies as on the
material itself: we'll approach culture from a variety of
different disciplines: history, sociology, literature, art,
architecture, music, film. Writing intensive.
AMST 444E - Fly Fishing and the American Experience
Credits:
4.00
The practice of fly fishing may seem like a rather
specialized topic for a semester-long course, but it is
truly an interdisciplinary pursuit that is based upon a
rich literary heritage. The class will begin with readings,
while using film, demonstrations, field trips, and service
learning, to help define the extent to which fly fishing in
America has become intertwined with literature, art,
popular culture, biology, environmentalism, and
business/technology. On one level, students will learn
about fly fishing techniques, stream ecology, and local
rivers. And on another level, they will see how the
American landscape and ways of thinking have created
something quite distinct from its European antecedents.
Writing intensive.
AMST 501 - Introduction to American Studies
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the basic methods used in the
interdisciplinary study of history, literature, arts, and
other aspects of the life and culture in the United States,
with a special focus on a local New England sub-region: the
Piscataqua river, Manchester, Boston, Portland, and the
White Mountains, with an emphasis on the multiracial,
multilingual, and multiethnic nature of New England
culture. Disciplinary approaches drawn from literature,
history, environmental studies, folklore, material culture,
art history, architecture, film, anthropology, and
sociology. May include guest lectures, field work, trips.
Required for students minoring in American studies. Writing
intensive.
AMST 502 - Introduction to African American Literature and Culture
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to African-American literature in the
context of a variety of cultural perspectives. Course
topics may include: major writers, literary genres,
historical periods, Harlem Renaissance, Black Arts
Movement, fine and folk arts, religion, music, and film.
(Also offered as ENGL 517.) Writing intensive.
AMST 503 - Introduction to Native American Studies
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the methods used in the
interdisciplinary study of the history, literature,
material culture, and other aspects of life and culture
among Native American peoples. Specific tribes and nations
covered may vary, but concepts emphasized include contact,
colonialism, and sovereignty. (Also offered as ENGL 540.)
AMST 603 - Photography and American Culture
Credits:
4.00
Interdisciplinary study of the relationship between
photography and the literature, art, politics, and history
of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Introduces
theories of photography as well as works of individual
artists. Topics vary from year to year. Writing intensive.
AMST #604 - Landscape and American Culture
Credits:
4.00
Interdisciplinary study of the perception, representation,
and/or construction of nature. Topics vary from year to
year and may include: landscapes in nineteenth-century
literature and art, colonial mapping of the Americas
(traditions of writing and cartography), Native American
traditions of land perception, and the twentieth-century
emergence of eco-criticism. Writing intensive.
AMST #608 - Women Artists and Writers 1850-Present
Credits:
4.00
Studies the impact of gender on the lives and works of
selected American artists. Considers lesser known figures
such as Fannie Fern, Lily Martin Spencer, and Mary Hallock
Foote as well as better known artists such as Willa Cather
and Georgia O'Keefe. Prereq: permission, or one of the
following: WS 401, HIST 566, ENGL 585, 586, 685, 785, or a
600-level art history course. (Also offered as ARTS 608,
ENGL 608, HIST 608, and HUMA 608.) Not offered every year.
Writing intensive.
AMST 609 - African American Experience in the 20th Century
Credits:
4.00
Investigates the music, literature, and social history of
African American America in the period of the Harlem
Renaissance, in the Great Depression, World War II, and in
the 1960's. Special attention to the theme of accommodation
with and rejection of dominant white culture. (Also offered
as ENGL 609, HUMA 609.) Writing intensive.
AMST 610 - New England Culture
Credits:
4.00
An interdisciplinary course investigating some of the
major contributions New England has made to American life.
Focuses on periods such as the Puritan era 1620-90), the
Transcendentalist period (1830-1860), late
nineteenth-century industrialism, and the contemporary era.
New England places are also featured, such as Boston,
Newport, Salem, the Connecticut River Valley, and rural
northern New England. Course materials are drawn from the
literature, history, art history, and material culture.
(Also listed as ARTS 610, ENGL 610, HIST 610, HUMA 610.)
Writing intensive.
AMST 611 - Indigenous New England
Credits:
4.00
An interdisciplinary introduction to the literatures,
histories, and cultures of indigenous people located in
what is now New England. Course topics may include U.S.
American Indian policy, tribal government structures and
resistance, history and forms of Native literacy,
contemporary sovereignty struggles, popular culture, and
film. Curricular acitivity with regional Native people
required such as a visit to a Native community, work with
tribal guest speakers, participation in a lecture or film
series. (Also offered as ENGL 740.) Writing intensive.
AMST #612 - Periods in American Culture
Credits:
4.00
Intensive multidisciplinary study of the art, literature,
material culture, and the social, political, and cultural
movements of a specific period in the American past.
Periods vary from year to year. Examples: the 1890's, the
1690's, the 1770's, the 1950's. May be repeated for credit
if subject matter is different.
AMST 614 - Native American Studies Topics
Credits:
4.00
The multidisciplinary study of the histories, cultures,
and representations of indigenous peoples. Topics vary and
may include Native American/Euro-American interactions
under colonialism, the so-called "Era of Assimilation," and
contemporary issues of sovereignty. May be repeated for a
maximum of 8 credits if the subject matter is different.
AMST 615 - Asian American Studies Topics
Credits:
4.00
The multidisciplinary study of Asian American literature,
culture, theory, and history. Perspectives may be drawn
from gender studies, anthropology, cultural studies, film
studies, and medicine. Topics vary and may include the
study of contemporary fiction and film, representations of
gender, of race and cultural pathologies, and of the ethnic
body. May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits if the
subject matter is different.
AMST 620 - Internship
Credits:
1.00 to 8.00
Supervised internship with a governmental agency, private
corporation, philanthropic institution, library, archives,
museum, historical society, publishing company, or other
institution seeking individuals interested in historical
research, community development, or careers in education.
Repeatable for a maximum of 8 credits. Permission required.
Cr/F.
AMST 696 - Special Topics
Credits:
4.00
Focused study of an issue, problem, or theme in American
Studies. Topics vary. For example: Black Protest in the
1960's, the rise of consumer culture, domestic art,
architecture and suburban planning. Barring duplication of
subject, course may be repeated for credit. For details see
the coordinator. Prereq: AMST 501, and another AMST course,
or permission. Writing intensive.
AMST 697 - Seminar in American Studies
Credits:
4.00
Open to qualified juniors and seniors, with permission of
the coordinator and the instructor. Intensive study of a
specialized topic that varies from year to year. Enrollment
in the seminar is limited to 15 so that all students can
take an active part in the discussion and work closely with
the instructor on their papers. Barring duplication of
subject, course may be repeated for credit. For details
see the coordinator. Prereq: a grade of B or better in AMST
501, completion of at least two other courses in the minor,
permission. Not offered every year.
AMST 795 - Independent Study
Credits:
1.00 to 8.00
Open to qualified juniors and seniors. May include
fieldwork or an internship at a museum, library,
historical society, etc. To be elected only with permission
of the coordinator and with qualified supervision. May be
repeated up to 8 cr.
AMST XXX - Special message place holder
Credits: