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AMER 3300 The
Americas: Professor Steven Mintz Office: 402 Agnes Arnold Hall Voice: 713-743-2993 E-Mail: SMintz@uh.edu |
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Examinations: A proctored MID-TERM 9-10:30 a.m., Saturday, October 14, in SR 117 (Science and Research 1, Room 117); A take-home FINAL
due 3 p.m., Friday, December 1, in 523 Agnes Arnold Hall. A copy of the final
is attached to the syllabus. Broadcast: Mondays, HISD channel, 12 a.m.
(midnight)-3 a.m. I. Course Description This course is
designed to offer you a novel and innovative alternative to conventional
classes in the humanities and social sciences. Truly interdisciplinary, the
course draws on faculty from ten academic departments and schools. This class
is also genuinely comparative and hemispheric. Unlike traditional
"American Studies" programs, which define their subject matter
exclusively by the geopolitical boundaries of the United States, this course takes
a hemispheric approach that also encompasses the "other Americas":
Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This course
emphasizes three broad themes. The first is identity. Here we are interested
in the shifting ways that individuals have conceived and experienced their
identity and their relationship to larger communities. We are especially
interested in the ways that identity has been defined along--and
across--racial, sex/gender, age/generational, ethnic, geographic, religious,
and national lines. Thus, we are concerned about the way political, economic,
historical, and social forces have shaped identities. Using the tools of
anthropology, history, literary criticism, political science, psychology, and
sociology, we will examine the ways in which identity has been represented
and studied both by "insiders" and "outsiders," as well
as the processes through which identity has been repressed, celebrated,
altered, multiplied, and extended. A second major
theme is culture. We are not only interested in the "high culture"
of elite intellectual and artistic activity, but also in "popular
cultures," "folk cultures," "political cultures,"
and "commercial mass cultures" and the complex relationships among
them. While our course will pay close attention to the "hegemonic"
cultures that achieve a degree of dominance at particular times and places,
we are equally interested in various subcultures and countercultures that
offer alternative forms of artistic expression and values and that have
repeatedly challenged and transformed dominant cultures. We are especially
interested in issues of cultural resistance, transformation, domination, and
colonialism as well as the possibilities of post-colonialism. A central issue that
we will explore is the intricate connection between culture as expressed in
the arts, literature, music, and philosophy and the more holistic and
inclusive anthropological conception of culture as particular communities'
ways of life. Drawing upon approaches offered by anthropology, art, literary
criticism, musicology, philosophy, sociology, we will examine the complex
process through which culture has been defined, disseminated, contested, and
commercialized in the Americas. We are especially interested in the ways that
cultures are created through hybridization, processes of mutual borrowing and
differentiation, as well as through transnational processes of migration,
urbanization, and myriad forms of "modernization." Our objective is
not only to show how complex societies consolidate a "common"
culture, but also how the Americas have produced a multiplicity of cultures.
Such an approach is essential if we are to understand both the cultural
commonalities and differences that belong under the term "American." The course's
third key theme is power. We are interested not only in relationships of
dominance and hierarchy, but also in various ways that order has been
contested and resisted. We will place special emphasis on the power of ideas,
and the way that they are formed into coherent systems of thought by
intellectuals and communities; expressed and communicated through media and
the arts; commodified and experienced as everyday lifestyles by subcultural,
countercultural, and minority groups; and mobilized into forms of action by
social and political movements. Thus we explore the varieties and forms of
modernism and modernity that have emerged in the American experience, since
these are the sites in which the logic and practice of both domination and resistance
occur. The underlying
issue that the course addresses is "sharing." All Americans do share certain common
experiences, histories, values, and aspirations. To what extent, we shall
ask, are shared cultural elements--such as identity, belonging, and
belief--differentially experience as a result of such elements as ethnicity,
gender, nationality, and race? II. What is the American Cultures Program?. Designed to take
advantage of Texas's border location, local resources, and demography, the
American Cultures Program seeks to cultivate an understanding both of the
United States and of the other societies of the Americas. It will also
introduce you to economic, political, and social developments--such as
migration, urbanization, and nationalism--that transcend national boundaries.
Above all, the American Cultures Program is committed to high quality and
innovative teaching. It seeks to create a forum where students and faculty
from a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds can come together to
explore the forces that unite us as well as those that divide us. III. Course Design and Goals Traditionally,
the field of American Studies defined the United States as America and
America as the United States. In actuality, the term "America"
properly belongs to the entire Western Hemisphere. This course is designed to
break away from a United States-centered perspective, and offer a truly
hemispheric and multicultural approach to the history and cultures of the
Americas. The course
divides into three parts. The first unit, HISTORIES, shows that out of
diverse experiences of colonialism, very different societies and cultures
emerged in different parts of the Americas, with distinct places in the world
economy, diverse value systems, social structures, and governmental
institutions, and differing forms of artistic and literary expression. The
second unit, AMERICAN MODERNITIES, focuses on the cultural, economic, and
social roots of modernity and the forms modernism has taken in art,
literature, music, and popular cultures. The third and final unit, LANDSCAPES
OF DEBATES, turns to contemporary issues revolving around policy, politics,
and practices of multiculturalism, pluralism, and cultural nationalism within
the context of the changing ways in which America is being imagined and
contested. IV. Readings Peter Winn,
AMERICAS: THE CHANGING FACE OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Ronald Takaki,
FROM DIFFERENT SHORES In addition you are
required to read the Octavio Paz essay included with this syllabus for
lecture 6. V. Course Requirements 1. A proctored mid-term, which will take
place 9-10:30 a.m., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, in SR 117 (Science and Research I,
Room 117). This closed-book, closed-note exam will consist of multiple
choice, identification, and essay questions based on the lectures, readings,
and discussion. 2. A take-home final, consisting of essay
questions based on the lectures, readings, and discussions. The questions
will be handed out at the time of the mid-term examination. Your essays are
due no later than 3 p.m., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, in the History Department
Office, 523 Agnes Arnold Hall. Grading of Essays When we evaluate your essays, we not only test your
command of the facts, but also your analytical, organizational, and
essay-writing skills. In an essay, you must do much more than simply
regurgitate information offered in a lecture. You need to demonstrate your
capacity to apply the knowledge to a specific question. You need to present a
clear and compelling argument and a structure that flows logically. In short,
you are graded both on substance and style. Answers that simply repeat the
lectures or that incorporate excessive extraneous material will be graded
down. Substance: Does the essay adequately cover the issues raised in the
question? Does the essay
thoroughly define key terms and concepts? Is the thesis too
general? Is the essay's
argument logical? Style: Does
the essay respond directly to the question? Does the essay
adequately document its arguments? Is the essay
well-organized? Are quotations
thoroughly analyzed? Are the spelling,
punctuation, and grammar correct? VI. Lectures Topics PART I. HISTORIES 1. Week of August 21. The World in 1492 Theme: The three cultures--African, European, and indigenous
American--whose historical intersection and collisions beginning in 1492 gave
rise to new hybrid cultures in the Americas: African American,
Anglo-American, and Latin American. Topics: Introduction to
the Course Africa, America,
and Europe in 1491 Study Questions
for the First Exam: 1. Compare and
contrast the levels of development of Europe, Africa, and the New World on
the eve of Columbus's Voyage of Discovery. 2. In what
specific ways is the concept of "civilization" used to judge levels
of cultural development Eurocentric? 2. Week
of August 28. The Collision of Cultures in the Americas (Dorothy Baker,
English; Quetzil Castenada, Anthropology) Reading: Winn, 39-83 Theme: The nature and "success" of the European
invasion and conquest of the Americas. Topics: The Columbian
exchange How and why
conquest was possible American
holocaust: The debate over the role of disease, labor conditions, and
genocide America in the
colonial imagination The Captivity
Narrative: Mythic archetypes and legitimations of conquest and colonization Study Questions
for the First Exam: 1. Identify and
evaluate the various explanations that have been advanced to explain why the
Spanish Conquistadors defeated the Aztecs. 2. What is a
"captivity narrative"? Why is this a significant literary
form? What can these narratives tell
us about Europeans and Indians? 3. Identify and
state the significance of Mary Rowlandson; the Virgin of Guadalupe; and the
1550 Debate between Las Casas and Sepulveda; mestizo; syncretism and
hybridization. 3. Week of September 4, 11. Africa and
Africans in the Making of New World Cultures (Richard
Blackett, History and African American Studies) Reading: Takaki: Jordan and Breen essays; Winn: 277-306 Theme: The indispensable role of Africans in the settlement
and development of New World societies. Topics: The origins,
significance, and nature of New World slavery The Atlantic
slave plantation system The origins of
Afro-American cultures Slavery and the
origins of racism Study Questions for the First
Exam: 1. How did
"modern" slavery in the Americas between the 1500s and the
mid-1800s differ from slavery in the ancient or pre-modern world? 2. Approximately
how many Africans were forcibly imported as slaves to the New World? 3. What
was the impact of the African Slave Trade on Europe? on West Africa? 4. Week of September 18. Divergent Paths of
Economic and Cultural Development (Kenneth Lipartito,
History) Reading: Winn, 89-119 Theme: The Industrial Revolution. Topics: The decline of mercantilism and the
plantation slave complex and the rise of industry Study Questions for the First
Exam: 1. Explain why the northeastern United States industrialized earlier than the American South, Latin America, and the Caribbean. 5. Week
of September 25. Emerson: The United States' Philosopher King; The Rise of
Modern Culture; Forms of Hemispheric Hegemony (Cynthia Freeland, Philosophy) Theme: Popular ideologies and a shifting
popular culture in the 19th century United States Topics: Emerson and popular ideologies The Reorientation
of popular culture at the end of the 19th century Forms of
U.S. expansion: Cultural, diplomatic, economic, and military Study Questions for the First
Exam: 1. Identify
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American Transcendentalism, and Cornel West. 2. What significant changes took place
in U.S. popular culture during the last years of the 19th century? What
innovations took place in mass communications? In leisure activities? 3. Identify
Darwinism; and Frederick Jackson Turner. PART II: AMERICAN MODERNITIES 6.
Week of October 2. Forging American Nations Out of the
Cauldrons of Colonialism; The New World Baroque: Comparing Protestant and
Catholic Cultures (Thomas F. O'Brien, History; Lois
Parkinson Zamora, English) Reading: Winn, 399-441 Theme: The invention of different kinds of
nations in the Americans during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries;
the contrasting forms of artistic expression of the U.S. and Mexico Topics: Comparing and contrasting British
North America and Latin America The causes
and consequences of the Latin American Wars of Independence Nationalism
in 19th century Latin America Latin
American politics Debates over dependency,
neocolonialism, internal colonialism, imperialism, and underdevelopment The New
World Baroque Study Questions for the First Exam: 1. Compare British North America and
Latin America in the 18th and 19th centuries in terms of the composition of
the population, the nature of the economy and workforce, racial categories,
the distribution of legal rights and status, and treatment of indigenous
peoples. 2. Compare and contrast the independence
movements of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the U.S. and Latin
America. Were independence movements motivated
by common concerns? Was the attitude of elites toward the masses the same?
How did the new constitutions treat Indians? Did revolutions result in stable
governments? 3. How did nationalism in Latin America
differ from nationalism in the United States? How did Latin American elites
try to promote economic growth following independence? How did they attempt
to maintain order? What was Latin American elites' attitude toward
immigration? 4. What was the goal of the popular
nationalist movements that emerged in Latin America during the Great
Depression? What groups did they appeal to? What was their effect on the
peasantry and on agriculture? 5. Identify
the term "baroque" and explain how it applies to Mexican culture. 7. Week of October 9. Modernisms in Music (Howard
Pollack, Music; Joseph Kotarba, Sociology) Theme: The emergence of distinctively
American forms of musical and popular expression since the nineteenth
century. Topics: Nineteenth century musical traditions:
Anglo-European, African, and Indigenous U.S.
musical forms Latin
musics Youth
Culture and Rock 'n' Roll FIRST EXAM: 9-10:30 a.m., Saturday, October
14, SR 117 (Science and Research 1, Room 117) The first examination covers lecture 1-6.
This closed-book, closed-note examination will consist of multiple choice,
identification, and essay questions. You should bring a pen and a pencil. We
will provide paper. 8. Week
of October 16. Struggles for Equal Rights; Afro-American Modernisms:
Literatures, Critiques, Canons (Tyrone Tillery, History; Lawrence
Hogue, English) Reading: Takaki:
Blauner, Bonacich, and Palmer essays Theme: The African American struggle for
equality; an examination of key texts and themes in African American
literature Topics: Major themes in Afro-American
literary and cultural production during the 20th century The making
of inner-city ghettoes and the internal world of Afro-American communities The
experience of and debates about racism Strategies
for promoting group interests and identities 9. Week
of October 23. Latino & Latina
American Modernities: Canons & Critiques (Lynn Cortina, Recovery of the
Hispanic Heritage Project; Rodolfo Cortina, Director, Center for the Americas
and MCL) Reading: Takaki: A.
Garcia, King, and Tienda essays Theme: Major themes in Mexican-American
literary and cultural production during the 20th century 10. Week of October 30. Sexes, Sexualities, and Gender in Transnational
Perspective (Bill Simon, Sociology; Susan
Kellogg, History) Reading: Takaki:
Dill essay; Winn, 313-345 Theme: Contemporary debates surrounding
gender and sexuality as categories of knowledge in historical analysis, literary
criticism, philosophy, and cultural theory. Topics: Debates about the social
construction of gender and sexuality Gender and
Women's Roles and Identity in Colonial Latin America PART III: CULTURAL LANDSCAPES AT CENTURY'S END--TOWARD
HEMISPHERIC APPROACHES TO IDENTITY, CULTURE, AND POWER 11. Week
of November 6. Migration, Urbanization, and the Making of Hybrid Cultures (Nestor Rodriguez, Sociology) Reading: Takaki: Glazer, Higham, Light, C.
Rodriguez, Chow, and Ewen essays Theme: Immigration and population movements
in the Americas during their twentieth century and their cultural and
political impact Topics: The Old Immigration and the New Responses
to multicultural contacts and interactions Identity
and difference: Forms of prejudice Questions
of assimilation and Americanization Ethnic
strategies, ethnic nationalism, and strategic essentialism 12. Week
of November 13. The Rise of Mass Culture and Mass Communication; The West as
Myth and Symbol (Garth Jowett, Communication) Reading: Takaki: Takaki "Metaphysics",
Deloria, and Vizenor essays Theme: The emergence and significance of mass communication in twentieth century United States; the Western as popular ideology. |