For Fall 2010, the seminar will be taught by David Quigley, Dean of Arts and Sciences and a professor in the History department. Admission to the course will be by permission of the instructor or the American Studies Program.
HS 675 American Studies Seminar: New England
This interdisciplinary seminar will explore both the persistence and the evolution of regionalism in American culture through a semester-long study of New England. Course readings will incorporate some historical material but the primary interest will be the varieties of contemporary New England life. Among the themes examined will be the transformation of maritime communities; post-industrialism in the region's small cities; the complexities of environmentalism; and the meanings of popular sport. Forms to be considered include contemporary non-fiction. Students will pursue a journalistic research essay on a topic of their own choosing.