Key Readings in American Studies 4219-AL103
The course proposes key readings in the field of American studies. In the first place, the political section focuses the discussion on the Constitution of the United States of America. The section examines the constitutional debates and ideas. Significant topics are also examined such as Robert Dahl’s question: How democratic is the Constitution of the United States? In addition, a classic text of contemporary political science (The Third Wave of Democracy) is analyzed to contextualize current discussions on American politics.
The History section proposes a discussion beginning in the early days of the North American colonies. Departing from a review of one of the founding narratives of the United States (Dreams of a City on a Hill, 1630), the section provides a context to understand some paradoxes of American history.
The literature section identifies the themes of ethnicity (Gloria Anzaldua), race (Toni Morrison) and gender (Judith Butler) to understand the social construction of these categories. The section examines power relations and hierarchical structures that underlie those categories. It does it within the framework of a democratic society that is capable of accommodating plurality and diversity.
Finally, the society section focuses on the study of three specific phenomena: (1) economic inequality accompanied by strong social polarization and resentments, (2) gun culture and its intersections/connotations with masculinity, and (3) systemic racism and Blacks mass incarceration that became a system of social control.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon completing this course the student:
KNOWLEDGE
* can read and understand a spectrum of thematically and stylistically diverse advanced texts of Latin American or North American culture in English or in Spanish (K_W02)
* knows the concept of the creator of a cultural text and understand the complexity of factors influencing her (K_W05)
* is aware of the normative systems shaped by historical, social, and cultural conditions (K_W06)
* on the basis of individual texts can provide a social and cultural entanglements of various and regions of the America as well as draw critical conclusions (K_W05)
SKILLS
* can identify and distinguish types of texts focused on the Americas and critically evaluate their research usefulness (K_U01)
* can analyze and interpret texts from various areas of social and cultural life in the Americas (K_U01)
* can independently formulate opinions concerning a variety of cultural texts focused on the Americas (K_U02)
* can, while following the good practices concerning intellectual property, creatively use texts in her work, particularly in the preparation of MA thesis (K_U05)
* can participate in discussions and debates concerning texts focused on the Americas and prepare and deliver presentation in English or Spanish (K_U06, K_U07)
SOCIAL COMPETENCES
* is prepared for critical reception of information concerning the Americas (K_K01)
* is ready to continue developing her knowledge of the Americas (K_K03)
* is interested in participating in social and cultural life, particularly in the events, processes, and phenomena connected with the Americas (K_K03)
Assessment criteria
Discussion: Given the format of this course, students are expected to engage in class discussion and participation. Good understanding of required texts is essential.
Final test: a written test written by all groups together in the first week of the examination session and comprising multiple choice questions, quote identification, and short open questions.
To improve course grades, instructors may assign additional activities (annotated bibliographies, short essays or quizzes).
Grading:
100-88 = 5
87-73 = 4
72-57 = 3
56- 0 = 2
Bibliography
Cluster: Politics
Dahl, Robert A. How Democratic is the American Constitution? 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2003.
Huntington, Samuel. "Democracy Third Wave" Journal of Democracy Volume 2, no 2. (1991), pp. 12-34
Keith E. Whittington. Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, the Supreme Court, and Constitutional Leadership in U.S. History. Princeton Studies in American Politics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2007.
Lipset, Seymour Martin. "Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy. The American Political Science Review, Vol. 53, No. 1 (1959), pp. 69-105.
Mayhew, David R. Congress: The Electoral Connection. 2nd ed. Yale University Press, 2004.
Moe, Terry M., and William G. Howell. "Unilateral Action and Presidential Power: A Theory." Presidential Studies Quarterly 29, no. 4 (1999): 850-72.
Persily, Nathaniel (Ed.). Solutions to Political Polarization in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. doi:10.1017/CBO9781316091906
Cluster: History
John Winthrop, Arabella sermon ("City on a hill") www.winthropsociety.com/doc_charity.php
Miller, Perry. "Errand Into The Wilderness." The William and Mary Quarterly 10, no. 1 (1953): 4-32. doi:10.2307/2936876.
Morgan, Edmund S. "Slavery and Freedom: The American Paradox." The Journal of American History 59, no. 1 (1972): 5-29. doi:10.2307/1888384.
Mary Rowlandson, Narrative of the Captivity, Intro, 1st, 2nd, and 20th Removes www.gutenberg.org/files/851/851-h/851-h.htm#link2H_4_0020
Axtell, James. "Colonial America without the Indians: Counterfactual Reflections." The Journal of American History 73, no. 4 (1987): 981-96. doi:10.2307/1904058.
Cluster: Literature
Toni Morrison, “Black Matters,” Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, 1992, pp. 1-28.
Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 7) Aunt Lute Books: San Francisco, 1987, pp. 1-24, 53-64, 77-86
Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader, Routledge: New York, 1993, pp. 307-320
Cluster: Society
Stiglitz, Joseph (2013) The Prize of Inequality. The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future. New York: W. W. Norton & Company (Ch. 1, pp. 1-34).
Additional readings:
Grusky B. David and Hill Jasmine (2017) Poverty and Inequality in the 21st Century. In: Grusky B. David and Hill Jasmine (Eds.) Inequality in the 21st Century. New York: Routledge (pp.1-7)
Saez Emmanuel (2019) Striking it Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States
Hofstadter, Richard, America as a Gun Culture, American Heritage Magazine, 1970, vol. 1, issue 6
Mencken F. Carson and Froese Paul, Gun Culture in Action, Social Problems, 2019, 66, 3–27 [selection: pp. 3-10; 23-27]
Alexander, Michelle, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (New York: The New Press, 2010), Introduction and Chapter1.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: