American Cultural Studies - Comparative Cultural Studies

This class takes a critical look at the social constructions of race, class, gender, and sexuality in American culture, both historically and in contemporary society, with an emphasis on marginalized and colonized peoples in the United States. We will examine ethnic/minority/indigenous and majority group dynamics, focusing on institutional constructs such as education, the judicial and legal systems, and immigration patterns. The concepts of classism, racism, prejudice and discrimination, as well as the connections between them, will be examined in light of societal and economic stratification as well as their corresponding ideologies (colorblindness, privilege, post-racialism, etc.). We will look at the intersections of ethnic identity in light of sexuality, gender, economic class, and whiteness. Finally, instead of thinking about race or racialized communities as isolated or singular, we will examine the intersecting processes, histories and institutions of colonialism, slavery, migration, and capitalism as they inform lived experiences of identity and social location, including race, ethnicity, nationhood, gender, sexuality, class, and (dis)ability.