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Research Seminar (395-0-22)

Topic

Depicting America

Instructors

Sarah-Louise Josephine Dawtry

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 305: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Visual culture - art, photographs, cartoons, fashion, films, advertisements, and reels, to name but a few elements - is something often experienced with little thought as to its broader significance. Yet images, icons, and other visual cues profoundly shape cultural meaning and our senses of place and self. In this class we will explore visual culture in the history of the United States, from the early Republic to the present, asking what ideas of "America" are being depicted and how they have changed over time. We will examine topics such as the formation of national identity, the visual language of empire, race and representation, consumerism, and the influence of mass media, while also developing a critical vocabulary with which to discuss these topics. We will situate images and objects both within their own history of making and as products of a broader cultural and social context, using them to track the complex and shifting socio-political landscape of the United States' history. At the end of the course, students will produce an original research paper which examines an aspect of visual culture in US history, and to that end assignments will be scheduled throughout the quarter to build towards the final project.

Registration Requirements

Juniors and Seniors only

Learning Objectives

Learn about visual culture as a tool for historical analysis and analyze and synthesize a diverse array of sources into an original research paper.

Evaluation Method

Attendance and Participation: 20%
Annotated Bibliography: 10%
Response Paper: 5%
Outline/Historiographic Essay: 15%
Visual Analysis: 5%
Final Paper: 40%

Class Notes

History concentration(s): Americas

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Freshmen may not register for this course.