Time Schedule:
James P. Linder
POL S 281
Seattle Campus
Introduction to the methods and theories used in the analysis of American culture. Emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to American literature, including history, politics, anthropology, and mass media. Offered: jointly with ENGL 251.
Class description
In what ways might Leave it to Beaver be an outgrowth of radioactive atomic fallout? How are political statesmen such as John Foster Dulles presenting a viewpoint that has affinities to that offered by Jack Kerouac and the Beats? How, according to some, were Moms ruining America?
Our work in English 251 will attempt to answer these and related questions by examining postwar American culture through a variety of texts—from detective fiction to political speeches, from sociological tracts to Hollywood movies, from legal documents to Beat poetry. In short, we’ll work to attain a more comprehensive picture of 1950s and, to some extent, 1960s America by putting seemingly disparate cultural forms in dialogue with one another. We’ll attempt to discover what unites these various postwar texts, what common concerns and/or hopes they give voice to.
As the Beav might say, “Gee, Wally, this course is gonna be swell!”
NO OVERLOADS WILL BE TAKEN FOR POLI SCI 281
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
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