American Cultural Theory - Detailseite

This course aims at introducing students to a variety of scholarly discourses and concepts used for the analysis of American culture. It focuses on terms such as the New World and empire, frontier and the border, national character and the melting pot, American Dream and the self-made man. Addressed within discourses such as American Studies, Women’s Studies, African-American Studies, and Ethnic Studies, these terms are studied as discursive and socio-political constructs. The students are encouraged to reflect critically on the ways these concepts are engaged in the production and distribution of gender, race, ethnic, trans-national and other identities.