American Studies: Visions, Revisions, Contestations - MA Seminar 2 3301-KAS2DYB
In the second semester of the MA seminar the syllabus is designed introduce Students to topics such as liberalism vs libertarianism, community, civil society, identity politics, populism, memory, social class, distinction, national heritage, individualism, and panoptic power, as well as critical approaches to cultural analysis, ranging from structuralism, semiotics to discourse analysis. The syllabus contains a film studies component, which is reflected both in the selection of case studies and analytical tools employed.
This semester prepares Students to formulate the MA thesis topic, to submit the first draft of Chapter 1, to draft a preliminary table of contents, and compile a working bibliography.
Students will participate in the seminar by preparing for and facilitating class discussion, completing writing assignments that develop their analytical and critical skills, and presenting results of their semester-long research. Throughout the semester Students will have an opportunity to discuss their MA project proposals with the Instructor during scheduled sessions.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
- Students deepen their knowledge of key approaches to the critical study of American culture and society
- Students identify major schools, research methods, techniques and critical tools in American Studies and Cultural Studies
- Students situate those schools in a larger socio-historical and political context
Expertise:
- Students organize their research project, choose a topic and research problem, formulate questions, decide on a critical approach and key concepts
- Students assess the state of research and select sources relevant for their project
Social Skills
- Students understand the significance of continuous education for personal and professional development
- Students understand the ethical principles of their academic work and apply them in their professional work
In class discussions students acquire skills of expressing their thoughts in a clear, coherent, logical and precise manner, with the use of language which is correct grammatically, lexically and phonetically.
Assessment criteria
Preparation and participation in class.
Facilitating a seminar discussion.
2 written assignments (limit: 550-600 words).
Presentation of the MA project proposal.
At least 1 one-on-one conference with the Supervisor.
Submitting an MA project proposal including: 1. a working version of the M.A. topic, 2.an outline of the M.A. thesis, including research questions, key themes and concepts, theoretical framework, research gap, a preliminary table of contents and chapter breakdown; 3. a working bibliography for the project (at least 15 entries).
Submitting a draft of Chapter 1.
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
David A Hollinger, Charles Capper, eds. American Intellectual Tradition: A Sourcebook, 1620-1865, vol.1, Oxford University Press, 1989, selected documents
Jen Jack Gieseking et al., eds. The People, Place and Space Reader, Routledge, 2014, selected primary texts
Colin Farrelly, red. Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader. Ed., Sage Publications, 2004, selected essays
Rodney Harrison, Understanding the Politics of Heritage, Manchester University Press, 2009, excerpts
Mathew Hongholz-Hetling, A Libertarian Walks into a Bear (2020), excerpts
Sarah Churchwell, “America’s Original Identity Politics,” New York Review of Books, Feb. 7th, 2019.
John Storey, ed. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1994, selected topics
Dominic Strinati, An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture, Routledge, 2004 (1995), selected topics
John Hartley, Robert E. Pearson, Eva Vieth, eds. American Cultural Studies: A Reader. Oxford University Press USA, 2000, selected essays
Ian Woodward, Understanding Material Culture. Sage, 2007, excerpts
Thorsten Veblen, The Theory of Leisure Class, 1899, excerpts
Alison Landsberg, Prosthetic Memory, Columbia University Press, 2004, excerpts
Alison Lansdberg, Engaging the Past: Mass Culture and the Production of Historical Knowledge, Columbia University Press, 2015, excertps
European Center for Populism Studies. https://www.populismstudies.org/
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tom 2 (1840), excerpts
FILMOGRAPHY
Shane (dir. George Stevens, 1953)
The Homesman (dir. Tommy Lee Jones, 2014)
American Primaeval (dir. Peter Berg, Netflix, 2025)
Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2019)
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea Episode 1 (Ken Burns, PBS, 2009),
Nomadland, dir. Chloe Zhao, 2020.
The Night of the Living Dead (dir. George Romero, 1969)
Stepford Wives (dir. Bryan Forbes, 1975)
Milk (dir. Gus Van Sant, 2008)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: