In this course we will critically investigate a variety of myths and symbols which were important for the “making of America”. Students will be introduced to a selection of literary and visual sources including myths, symbols and motifs which either represent the U.S. or were influential in the construction of “American identities”. We will read excerpts from a selection of seminal texts like Crèvecoeurs’ Letters from an American Farmer or Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis”, look at paintings and pictures which feature allegorical figures like Columbia or Uncle Sam and investigate “American myths” like freedom or the melting pot and motifs, symbols and metaphors like the pilgrim fathers, the city upon a hill or the new Eden. Students will be enabled to trace the origins of these cultural icons, discover the role they played for the self-stylization of the U.S. and their part in the process of nation-building as well as their importance for recent cultural productions like music videos.
All relevant materials will be made available either as a reader or via moodle.
Requirements:
Class participation, including reading assignments and discussion, a short class presentation and a written exam at the end of the course. |
