American Studies Senior Seminar
In your senior year, you must enroll in the course designated as the American Studies Senior Seminar. The topic of the seminar, an interdisciplinary course housed in one of the major cooperating departments, varies every year. For the 2021-2022 academic year, the seminar will be offered in Spring 2022 and taught by Christina Klein of the English Department. The course is required for completion of the minor.
ENGL 5513: Senior Seminar: Transnational American Studies: The US and Asia (Spring 2022)
This seminar offers a deep dive into the transnational wing of American Studies. Instead of taking America’s borders as the limit of inquiry, we will explore the cultural history of America’s relationship with the world beyond its borders – specifically Asia – from the 18th century to the present. Our focus will be on the relationship between the material conditions of American and Asian life (political, military, economic, social) and the production of diverse forms of culture (household goods, dance, movies, performance, propaganda, etc.). The seminar culminates in a substantial research paper about a cultural artifact of your choosing.