American Studies (AMST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 57 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

AMST 1101

This course is an introduction to interdisciplinary considerations of American culture. Specific topics may change from year to year and may include questions of national consensus versus native, immigrant ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16685 AMST 1101   LEC 001

AMST 1104

This course will examine race and ethnic relations between Whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in the United States. The goal of this course is for students to understand how the history of race and ethnicity ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: LSP 1105SOC 1104

  • 3 Credits Opt NoAud

  • 18426 AMST 1104   SEM 101

AMST 1115

A policy-centered approach to the study of government in the American experience.  Considers the American Founding and how it influenced the structure of government;  how national institutions operate ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: GOVT 1111

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9377 AMST 1115   LEC 001

  •  9378 AMST 1115   DIS 201

  •  9379 AMST 1115   DIS 202

  •  9380 AMST 1115   DIS 203

  •  9381 AMST 1115   DIS 204

  •  9382 AMST 1115   DIS 205

  •  9383 AMST 1115   DIS 206

  •  9384 AMST 1115   DIS 207

  •  9385 AMST 1115   DIS 208

  • 16153 AMST 1115   DIS 209

  • 18405 AMST 1115   DIS 210

AMST 1144

Why do some regions thrive during a recession? What role can local governments play in an economic system that seems to exacerbate the divide between rich and poor?  Using cities as a lens, we'll examine ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18098 AMST 1144   SEM 101

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute

AMST 1500

This course offers an introduction to the study of Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean and other diasporas.  This course will examine, through a range of disciplines, among them literature, history, politics, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASRC 1500GOVT 1503

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  8846 AMST 1500   LEC 001

AMST 1540

This course studies the history of American capitalism. It helps you to answer these questions: What is capitalism? Is the U.S. more capitalist than other countries? How has capitalism shaped the history ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: HIST 1540ILRLR 1845

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9147 AMST 1540   LEC 001

  • A University Course.

  •  9148 AMST 1540   DIS 201

  •  9149 AMST 1540   DIS 202

  •  9151 AMST 1540   DIS 204

  •  9520 AMST 1540   DIS 205

  •  9521 AMST 1540   DIS 206

  •  9522 AMST 1540   DIS 207

  •  9523 AMST 1540   DIS 208

  • 18488 AMST 1540   DIS 209

  • 18489 AMST 1540   DIS 210

AMST 1595

Focusing on political and social history, this course surveys African-American history from Emancipation to the present. The class examines the post-Reconstruction "Nadir" of black life; the mass black ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASRC 1595HIST 1595

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9914 AMST 1595   LEC 001

AMST 1600

This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the diverse cultures, histories and contemporary situations of the Indigenous peoples of North America. Students will also be introduced to important ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: AIIS 1100ANTHR 1700

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7514 AMST 1600   LEC 001

  •  7515 AMST 1600   DIS 201

  •  7516 AMST 1600   DIS 202

AMST 2006

Punk Culture--comprised of music, fashion, literature, and visual arts--represents a complex critical stance of resistance and refusal that coalesced at a particular historical moment in the mid-1970s, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: COML 2006ENGL 2906MUSIC 2006

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16090 AMST 2006   LEC 001

  • 16091 AMST 2006   DIS 201

  • 16092 AMST 2006   DIS 202

AMST 2030

This class surveys early literature produced in the United States, roughly from 1620 to 1865, and asks about religion and nationalism in the emerging republic. We will read some classic authors—such writers ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ENGL 2030

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8676 AMST 2030   SEM 101

AMST 2051

The nineteenth-century United States was a developing nation.  Newly independent, Americans struggled to create government institutions, build basic infrastructure, define the country's territorial boundaries, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 2051

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 18467 AMST 2051   SEM 101

AMST 2160

In this introductory course, participants will study the economic and technological history of the television industry, with a particular emphasis on its manifestations in the United States and the United ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 16900 AMST 2160   LEC 001

AMST 2225

In recent years, poverty and inequality have become increasingly common topics of public debate, as academics, journalists, and politicians attempt to come to terms with growing income inequality, with ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 17372 AMST 2225   LEC 001

  • 17421 AMST 2225   DIS 201

  • 17422 AMST 2225   DIS 202

  • 17423 AMST 2225   DIS 203

  • 17424 AMST 2225   DIS 204

  • 17425 AMST 2225   DIS 205

  • 17426 AMST 2225   DIS 206

  • 17427 AMST 2225   DIS 207

  • 17428 AMST 2225   DIS 208

AMST 2310

This course takes a critical approach to our contemporary understanding of the figure of the zombie and its inextricable link to discourses on race and blackness in the Americas. An introductory grounding ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASRC 2310ENGL 2931

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 10107 AMST 2310   SEM 101

AMST 2390

This seminar explores the history and culture of Iroquois people from ancient times, through their initial contacts with European settlers, to their present-day struggles and achievements under colonial ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AIIS 2390HIST 2390

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9213 AMST 2390   SEM 101

AMST 2600

The production of North American Indigenous literatures began long before European colonization, and persists in a variety of printed, sung, carved, painted, written, spoken, and digital media. From oral ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AIIS 2600ENGL 2600

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16145 AMST 2600   SEM 101

AMST 2615

In a 2015 speech, President Barack Obama described the the American criminal justice system as hopefully broken, with prison conditions so abominable that they had no place in the civilized world. In her ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PAM 2610SOC 2610

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 10069 AMST 2615   LEC 001

AMST 2620

This course will introduce both a variety of writings by Asian North American authors and some critical issues concerning the production and reception of Asian American texts. Working primarily with novels, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AAS 2620ENGL 2620

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16335 AMST 2620   LEC 001

AMST 2640

An introductory history of Chinese, Japanese, Asian Indians, Filipinos, and Koreans in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1990s. Major themes include racism and resistance, labor ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AAS 2130HIST 2640

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8500 AMST 2640   LEC 001

AMST 2665

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the origins, character, and results of the American ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: HIST 2665

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16279 AMST 2665   LEC 001

  • 16286 AMST 2665   DIS 201

  • 16287 AMST 2665   DIS 202

  • 16288 AMST 2665   DIS 203

    • F
    • Staff

  • 16371 AMST 2665   DIS 204

    • F
    • Staff

  • 16372 AMST 2665   DIS 205

    • F
    • Staff

  • 16373 AMST 2665   DIS 206

AMST 2710

This course is a blending of the Sociology of Education and Public Policy. Front and center in this course is the question of why consistent differential educational and economic outcomes exists in American ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •  6668 AMST 2710   LEC 001

  •  6669 AMST 2710   DIS 201

  •  6670 AMST 2710   DIS 202

  •  6671 AMST 2710   DIS 203

  •  6672 AMST 2710   DIS 204

  •  6673 AMST 2710   DIS 205

AMST 2760

From the beginning of the twentieth century to the present moment, movies -- and in particular Hollywood -- have profoundly influenced the ways in which people see, think and talk about the world. Focusing ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: ENGL 2761PMA 2560VISST 2300

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16768 AMST 2760   LEC 001

  • Film viewing is required for this class. Films will be available for viewing on Blackboard and will also be screened after Monday class meetings from approx. 8:45-10:30.

  • 16881 AMST 2760   DIS 201

  • 16882 AMST 2760   DIS 202

  • 16883 AMST 2760   DIS 203

  • 16884 AMST 2760   DIS 204

  • 18199 AMST 2760   DIS 205

  • 18203 AMST 2760   DIS 206

AMST 3001

Same-sex marriage.  Reproductive rights.  Campaign finance.  Universal health care.  Separate but equal.  Capital punishment.  Affirmative action.  Disputes over the meaning of the Constitution have been ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: GOVT 3001

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  9874 AMST 3001   LEC 001

  • 16155 AMST 3001   DIS 201

  • 16157 AMST 3001   DIS 202

  • 17622 AMST 3001   DIS 203

AMST 3010

Who are 'the poor' in the United States? Who are the largest recipients of federal welfare and entitlement spending? Why is there an unprecedented simultaneous increase in wealth and poverty in the United ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ARTH 3010VISST 3010

  • 4 Credits GradeNoAud

  •  8827 AMST 3010   SEM 101

AMST 3012

Poverty is a phenomenon of enduring importance with significant implications for democratic governance. This course explores contemporary poverty in America, with a particular emphasis on its political ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: GOVT 3012

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  9878 AMST 3012   LEC 001

  •  9879 AMST 3012   DIS 201

  •  9880 AMST 3012   DIS 202

  • 16165 AMST 3012   DIS 203

  • 18639 AMST 3012   DIS 204

AMST 3082

This course focuses on political campaigns, a central feature of American democracy. We will examine how they work and the conditions under which they affect citizens' decisions. The course looks at campaign ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: GOVT 3082

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  9122 AMST 3082   LEC 001

  •  9137 AMST 3082   DIS 201

  •  9138 AMST 3082   DIS 202

  •  9139 AMST 3082   DIS 203

  •  9140 AMST 3082   DIS 204

AMST 3142

This class is intended to provoke some hard thinking about the relationship of committed "outsiders" and advocates of change to the experience of crime, punishment, and incarceration and to the men we ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 3142

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17744 AMST 3142   SEM 101

  • Prerequisite: participation as a Teaching Assistant in the CPEP program in Auburn or Cayuga or work in a juvenile or other correctional facility.

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 3142

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18596 AMST 3142   SEM 102

AMST 3161

This course will explore and seek explanations for the performance of the 20-21st century presidency, focusing on its institutional and political development, recruitment process (nominations and elections), ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 3161

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16447 AMST 3161   LEC 001

AMST 3230

Surveys problems in American economic history from the first settlements to early industrialization. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ECON 3310

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8771 AMST 3230   LEC 001

AMST 3281

This course investigates the United States Supreme Court and its role in politics and government. It traces the development of constitutional doctrine, the growth of the Court's institutional power, and ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 3281LAW 3281

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17474 AMST 3281   LEC 001

AMST 3330

Based on indigenous and place-based "ways of knowing," this course (1) presents a theoretical and humanistic framework from which to understand generation of ecological knowledge; (2) examines processes ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AIIS 3330NTRES 3330NTRES 6330

  • 3 Credits Graded

  •  8087 AMST 3330   LEC 001

  • Enrollment limited to: Juniors, seniors, and grad students. Sophomores require permission of instructor (ksk28@cornell.edu).

AMST 3380

This is a seminar course on urban inequality in the United States.  The first half of the semester will be dedicated to understanding the political, historical, and social determinants of inequality in ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: SOC 3380

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  8907 AMST 3380   SEM 101

AMST 3451

An exploration of American thought and culture from 1890 to the present. Topics include: literature and the arts; history of science; philosophy; religious values; environmental politics; race and ethnicity; ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: HIST 3451

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 15963 AMST 3451   LEC 001

  • 15964 AMST 3451   DIS 201

    • W
    • Staff

  • 15965 AMST 3451   DIS 202

  • 15966 AMST 3451   DIS 203

    • F
    • Staff

AMST 3533

This course will consider the history, theory and craft of feature film screenwriting. We will examine the vital elements of effective motion picture narrative (protagonist, pathos, objective, action), ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PMA 3533

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18472 AMST 3533   SEM 101

AMST 3562

Native and Western philosophies serve similar functions: they organize societies and construct those taken-for-granted truths we all operate from, but rarely examine. Even as such "truths" create ideas ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AIIS 3560ENGL 3560

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16342 AMST 3562   SEM 101

AMST 3690

Poverty is an ongoing issue in the United States, and has intensified since the recession of 2008. As such, poverty has disproportionately affected women and underrepresented racial and ethnic communities. ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ENGL 3690FGSS 3691

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16369 AMST 3690   SEM 101

AMST 3744

"America Becomes Modern" offers an upper-level survey of major themes in American history between 1877 and 1917. The course will have a lecture/discussion format; student participation is highly valued ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: HIST 3740

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 15987 AMST 3744   LEC 001

  • 15988 AMST 3744   DIS 201

    • F
    • Staff

  • 15989 AMST 3744   DIS 202

  • 15990 AMST 3744   DIS 203

    • F
    • Staff

  • 15991 AMST 3744   DIS 204

    • F
    • Staff

AMST 3754

In this course, we will critically examine the production and performance of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender through literature and contemporary performance genres such as spoken word, slam poetry, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •  9927 AMST 3754   LEC 001

AMST 3785

This course will expose students to the theory and practice of civil disobedience in historical and contemporary perspectives. Do citizens have obligations to obey unjust laws? What makes disobedience ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 3785

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16455 AMST 3785   LEC 001

AMST 3820

As globalization draws the Americas ever closer together, reshaping our sense of a common and uncommon American culture, what claims might be made for a distinctive, diverse poetry and poetics of the America? ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 16072 AMST 3820   SEM 101

AMST 3854

This course addresses pertinent issues relative to the subject of regional development and globalization. Topics vary each semester. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: CRP 3854GOVT 3494

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • Topic: Growth and Development

  •  8211 AMST 3854   LEC 080

  • Taught in Washington, DC.

AMST 3860

Examines the experience of black Americans from the start of the Great Migration just before World War I. Topics include the effects of migration on work experiences and unionization patterns, the impact ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 16819 AMST 3860   LEC 001

AMST 3980

Affords opportunities for students to carry out independent research under appropriate supervision. Each student is expected to review pertinent literature, prepare a project outline, conduct the research, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6443 AMST 3980   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Staff

AMST 3981

This course analyzes several areas of Latino/a popular culture. Considering the historical trajectory of Latinidad in art, music, film and popular media, the course also engages emergent cultural practices. ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ENGL 3980LSP 3980

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16359 AMST 3981   SEM 101

AMST 3990

Individualized readings for junior and senior students. Topics, requirements, and credit hours will be determined in consultation between the student and the supervising faculty member. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6444 AMST 3990   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Staff

AMST 4021

American conservative thought rests on assumptions that are strikingly different from those made by mainstream American liberals.  However, conservative thinkers are themselves committed to principles ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 4021

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 15875 AMST 4021   SEM 101

AMST 4033

This seminar examines the issue of food justice in Ithaca and surrounding areas and explores innovative approaches for bringing about social equity and justice in relation to food availability, access ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASRC 4330

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16580 AMST 4033   SEM 101

AMST 4305

This semester we will examine the construction of a presidential imaginary- how the president, as represented in literature, film, television, advertising- shapes public policy and influences political ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 4051

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16686 AMST 4305   SEM 101

AMST 4402

From its inception in the South Bronx in the 1970s, hip hop has been dependent on women's contributions, yet female artists have had to work hard to contest their marginalization and objectification in ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 16579 AMST 4402   SEM 101

AMST 4645

An intensive study of Henry David Thoreau's Walden, accompanied by readings in Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," his deathbed collection The Maine Woods, and his late natural history essays. With the major ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ENGL 4655

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16495 AMST 4645   SEM 101

AMST 4806

This course will consider how Latina/o artists explore new approaches to texts, spaces, performers, and audiences.  In addition, students will be asked to focus on the connections that were and are being ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 17667 AMST 4806   SEM 101

AMST 4993

To graduate with honors, AMST majors must complete a senior thesis under the supervision of an AMST faculty member and defend that thesis orally before a committee. Students interested in the honors program ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  •  5784 AMST 4993   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Staff

AMST 5710

Examines the goals, roles, inputs, and outcomes of schooling in American society, and the policy environment in which schools operate. Analyzes controversies and tensions (e.g., equity, market forces, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •  6674 AMST 5710   LEC 001

  •  6675 AMST 5710   DIS 201

  •  6676 AMST 5710   DIS 202

  •  6677 AMST 5710   DIS 203

  •  6678 AMST 5710   DIS 204

  •  6679 AMST 5710   DIS 205

AMST 6201

The United States Congress will be examined: first, as a "closed system" in which institutional arrangements decisively apportion political power; and, second, as the product of electoral and social forces ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 6201

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 15908 AMST 6201   SEM 101

AMST 6440

This graduate seminar recognizes the current critical moment in Black girlhood studies as a pivotal point for addressing questions related to coming of age in the African diaspora, Black feminism, and ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ANTHR 6444ASRC 6440

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17542 AMST 6440   SEM 101

AMST 6606

This seminar will examine the political consequences of American pragmatism. Through a close study of the major works of William James and John Dewey we will explore pragmatist theories of inquiry, experience, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 6606

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 15906 AMST 6606   SEM 101

AMST 6645

In contemporary political contexts "democracy" is often invoked as the very ground of political legitimacy. There is very little agreement, however, on what democracy means or how it is best embodied in ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 6645

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 15928 AMST 6645   SEM 101