Ampersand: Examining America: American Dreams: Art, Culture, Performance, and Politics

AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES 1101

Does the "American Dream," rooted in Jeffersonian ideals of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," still hold sway in the American imagination, or have we moved on from its tantalizing promises? To answer this question, this Ampersand course investigates how perceptions, representations, and meanings of the American Dream manifest-or struggle to be realized-in the contemporary United States. As the American Dream relies deeply on the interaction between American culture and performance, we turn to case studies of the arts-theatre, literature, film, and painting-as lenses for understanding the complexities of nation and identity inherent to the American Dream. Utilizing an intimate seminar format to foreground our close reading and discussion of these multimodal texts, this Ampersand course emphasizes both critical thinking and writing. We also consider (and visit) a variety of exciting local theatrical performances and art exhibits, both on and off-campus. In synthesizing our interdisciplinary approach to the American Dream-or is it American Dreams?-the course culminates with a creative project with opportunities for performance during the final week of classes. This course is restricted to first-year students only.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; BU Eth; BU IS; AS HUM; AMP; FA HUM; AR HUM

Section 01

Ampersand: Examining America: American Dreams: Art, Culture, Performance, and Politics
INSTRUCTOR: McGinley