American Culture Values and Traditions

WEEK ONE: JULY 13-19

19th Century Foundations of American Culture

Lecture 1: American Literature Emerges

Lecture 2: Dressing the American Way

Lecture 3: The Tavern in American Society

Lecture 4: The American Theater and Nationalism

We start our course examination and discussion by looking at the United States in the nineteenth century and at basic concepts of culture. As a young nation and one whose population was rooted in immigration, the United States had little in terms of strong ties to place. Americans had not long and storied history to the land they called home. One citizen’s background would potentially be different from his or her neighbor’s. What one did in their leisure time (when they were not working) would be a product of ethnic ties (their land of origin), social class (what they could afford), and perhaps where they lived (city or countryside). As the nation grows there is a greater awareness among peoples of all walks of life that a national culture and identity is wanted. There was a push to develop an American culture. How? That is a difficult prospect. How do you make American food, clothing, literature and so forth when humans have been eating, have worn clothes, and have spoken and written for millenia? I would argue that what Americans were doing in the 19th century – a century of massive national expansion and development – was identifying meanings and values of the American experience to cultural activities. That is where we begin. We look at several cultural institutions and activities and see how the meanings assigned to them were meant to bring forth an understanding of the American experience.

American Modernization and Social Control

Lecture 5: Ideas of Play and Recreation

Lecture 6: Puritans, Anthony Comstock, and the Watch and Ward Society

Lecture 7: Blue Laws and Baseball

Lecture 8: Prohibition and the Speakeasy

With this week’s materials we start to look at the transition from 19th to 20th century American society and the conflicts and challenges it brought to our concepts of leisure. Keep in mind that most every youth generation has, in some form, rebelled against those who have come before them. During this period we  witness a more concerted effort to embrace popular (i.e. “of the people and masses”) entertainment, but a backlash from the previous generation against these new ideas and activities. The transition of the United States from a nation of rural citizens to one that is defined more by urban populations and wants is in many ways a driving force behind this transition, though it is an oversimplification to simply say we are seeing a rural/urban divide. It is about class, region, race, ethnicity, and other factors. Look for these factors. Think about the reasoning promoting this change, this expansion of leisure practices and those that opposed them, both in terms of one-hundred years ago and in the context of today.

Viewing the Human Body in Modern America

Lecture 9: Beaches, Bodies and Bathing Suits

Lecture 10: The Boundaries of Moving Pictures

Lecture 11: Dancing Girls and Burlesque Theaters

Lecture 12: The Dance Marathon Craze

The decade of the 1920s has been identified by some scholars as the moment when American consumerism matures into the structure and culture we embrace today. Consumerism has adapted to the changes around it since then, but the 20s marked the beginning of our embracing and purchasing of ideas, images and goods; our desire for new and temporary conveniences replacing traditional, permanent items; and new ways in which we can “purchase” commodities, with or without buying them (and NO , I do not mean stealing them in case you were wondering). The nation embraced modern technology as an essential part of modern living in this most modern of nations.

The materials for this week introduce us to some stark examples of the transition from 19th century activities and values to 20th century amusements and desires.

Commercialization and Commodification

Lecture 13: America Meets Rock ‘n Roll

Lecture 14: Katrina and the Music of New Orleans

Online Essay Exam Format

Your final examination in our course is an online essay examination. You are given four questions and will have the entire examination period (8 am, August 6 through 8 am, August 8) in which to answer each question, save those questions to one document, and submit it through the Turnitin link provided in the Tests and Quizzes section of Blackboard. Read over and make sure you are complying to the following requirements for writing out your essays and submitting your exam.

Each Essay MUST…

Be a minimum of 500 words of original text (original means your voice, not restating the question as your thesis and not using full titles from the readings)

Answer the question that is asked (respond to the question with an opinion that you argue and discuss)

Use the course materials as evidence in support of your argument

You are expected to use only course materials (lecture notes, assigned readings, and materials from any of the links and additional materials I provided in our Week-by-Week folders)

The DON’TS in your writing …

Don’t simply “copy and paste” your notes on a topic onto the page; your answer needs to be a direct and distinct response to the question

Don’t write out the full title of an article if you are identifying material; simply state the Author’s last name (ex. Hardy argues…)

Don’t abuse direct quotations by either (a) using very long quotes, and (b) using multiple quotes excessively [In your essay you need to paraphrase as much as possible, since you are being graded on your ideas and knowledge and NOT on what other scholars have said. Limit your quotes to one sentence at most and I would suggest using no more than two quotes in an essay]

Don’t search the web and provide information from outside sources in your response; you are being tested on your knowledge of our course materials

Don’t use the same example multiple times

Don’t say the same thing (make the same argument) in multiple responses

Hints …

Get the the point of your argument and begin the analysis rather than waste effort and space on a wordy, flowery introduction

Try to use information from at least one reading per essay answer

Make strong, detailed statements using specific ideas and examples (Avoiding generalizations “All those people … them … things”)

Explain your examples fully, telling the reader why they are meaningful to your argument

Don’t lose sight of the question being asked – keep the theme in mind and avoid simply summarizing your notes

The word count is a minimum, but should not be used as a stopping point – complete your thoughts and explanations completely

Submission …

Exam Period: 8 AM on Thursday August 6 through 8 AM on Saturday, August 8 (total of 48 hours)

Submission link is available during that time in the TESTS AND QUIZZES section of Blackboard

Do not wait until the last minute and have the submission link window close prior to completing the submission process

AMS 111: Summer Exam Questions

Summer Session AMS 111

Play and Vice Examination

Your final exam consists of four questions based upon our class lectures and readings. You will answer each question individually with an essay response. These are examination essays, so I do not expect (or want) elaborate introductory paragraphs. Identify your argument, then analyze it.

DO NOT REPHRASE THE QUESTION AS YOUR THESIS STATEMENT. MAKE AN ORIGINAL ARGUMENT OF YOUR OWN REASONING.

In your responses, be original and explore as many of the topics as possible in support of your arguments. After using a specific example or idea, do not use it in any other essay responses. Remember, answer each question, four in total.

1. So much of the cultural activities and ideas we discussed in our course were connected strongly to the American city (i.e. large urban centers). These are large centers of diversity – large populations with varying backgrounds, occupations, beliefs, goals and so forth. How did cities shape the types of recreational and play activities in America from the nineteenth through the twentieth century and did has this led to a culture that is more realistically “American”?
2. Over the last two centuries, the moralists and censors who sought to control and place restrictions on recreation and play activities in American society did so for a variety of reasons. On the one hand we have institutions and groups who had strong beliefs of “right and wrong” and the subsequent harm that could be done to society. On the other there are fears of losing one’s influence in and on society or seeing society moving past one’s set beliefs. Provide and example of each (the one hand and the other) and argue which you feel is the more valid interpretation.
3. The human body, and specifically the female form, has been the subject of a great deal of American play and recreational ideas and institutions over the past two centuries. Were women able to take ownership of their own bodies and images in these aspects of play we have explored? Why so or why not?
4. While every American can engage in cultural activities that demonstrate shared beliefs and values, the manner in which these activities are carried out often differs. Place, appearance, and style can and do easily determine how play and culture can be altered. In what ways have class-divide (looking at difference in socio-economic status) challenged the ways in which we can say an activity represents American beliefs? Think about how a group can take an activity and push its meaning forward in society.