This course examines the evolution of American culture as the United States transitioned from a relatively isolated country at the end of the 19th century to an active shaper of a global community by the 21st century. We will examine ways in which American Culture shaped and was shaped by international relationships that transcend nation states. We will explore reactions to, and the results of, the spread of American culture both inside and outside the United States. By studying traditional cultural forms like art, music, design, literature, film, and technology the course will build a foundation from which to understand the configuration of American culture. Yet the course will also emphasize American culture expression, that in the forms of television, advertising, sport, cartoons, social media, video games, fashion, food, drugs, and automobiles, have transcended the geographical boundaries of the United States to engage in global interplays of material cultural exchange.

AMST 10100 America And The World

America And The World

Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of American culture, history, and society in its national and global contexts.

AMST 20100 Interpreting America

Interpreting America

This course introduces students to games, as well as investigating innovations and controversies in the gaming industry. It will explore theories of play, how technological innovations and business practices in both digital and analog gaming (through board games, video games, tabletop games, and esports) mediate or structure the experience of play. It will also survey the rise of myriad gaming subcultures, including celebrity streamers and esports.

AMST 22000 Technology And Play

Technology And Play

Advanced interdisciplinary study of American culture, history, and society in their national and global contexts.

AMST 30100 Asian Amer Pop Cul

Asian Amer Pop Cul

AMST 30100 Food In Modern America

Food In Modern America

AMST 30100 Sports & Feminism

Sports & Feminism

Advanced interdisciplinary study of American culture, history, and society in their national and global contexts. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AMST 30100 Sport And Popular Feminisms

Sport And Popular Feminisms

AMST 30100 New Media

New Media

AMST 30100 Disney & The Politics Of Rep

Disney & The Politics Of Rep

AMST 30100 Afro-Asia Pol & Cul Alli

Afro-Asia Pol & Cul Alli

AMST 30100 Perspectives On America

Perspectives On America

AMST 30100 Internship In Asian Am Stds

Internship In Asian Am Stds

AMST 30100 Underst Nat Football Leag

Underst Nat Football Leag

AMST 30100 Global Hist Theory & Practice

Global Hist Theory & Practice

AMST 30100 Theories Of Global Studies

Theories Of Global Studies

AMST 30100 American Music Pol Image

American Music Pol Image

AMST 30100 American Beauty

American Beauty

AMST 30100 American Conspiracy Theories

American Conspiracy Theories

AMST 30100 Global 1960s Revolution

Global 1960s Revolution

AMST 30100 Intro Asian American Studies

Intro Asian American Studies

AMST 30100 AsAm Popular Culture

AsAm Popular Culture

AMST 30100 North African Lit & Culture

North African Lit & Culture

AMST 30100 Post Soul Black Lit Post 1960

Post Soul Black Lit Post 1960

This course focuses on the various ways that invention, innovation, and design shape the modern world. We will investigate the forms, uses, and meanings of a diverse set of objects, networks, and systems that influence the ways we live. We will explore these ideas through the concepts of consumption, waste, and "smart" to gain a deeper understanding of how material infrastructures influence human existence. This project-based course will use readings, discussions, and critical reflections to inform a series of hands-on projects to understand our roles as designers, creators, and users of science, technology, and material culture. Permission of instructor required.

AMST 31000 Invention, Innovation, And Design

Invention, Innovation, And Design

This course counters the cultural myth that sports are "simply a form of entertainment" or an "escape from reality" and takes seriously the notion that sports matter as a social, cultural, and political force. Students will use academically informed inquiry and investigation to examine broader cultural dynamics through a critical examination of the National Football League. Course topics include how the NFL shapes social identities including race, gender, sexuality, and American identity, the connection between football and militarism, the relationship between the NFL and commercialism, the role the NFL plays in the triad of men's violence, among other topics.

AMST 32000 Understanding The National Football League

Understanding The National Football League

This course examines how science, technology, engineering, and data analysis reshape sports. Traditionally, sports have been understood as competitions between humans. However, recent technoscientific developments have altered this arrangement and have changed the ways sports are played. We have reached a place where heated competitions not only take place on the fields of play, but also within scientific and engineering laboratories. The fundamental question this project-based course will address is: how will new and emerging scientific knowledge and technological innovations transform sports?  We will explore topics ranging from football, baseball, basketball, and soccer, to e-sports, fantasy sports, and sports analytics.

AMST 32500 Sports, Technology, And Innovation

Sports, Technology, And Innovation

A reading course in aspects of American Studies directed by the instructor in whose particular field of specialization the content on the reading falls. Permission of Instructor required.

AMST 59000 Indigenous Agency/Activism

Indigenous Agency/Activism

AMST 59000 Mapping Contemp Am Issues

Mapping Contemp Am Issues

AMST 59000 Environment, Art & Activism

Environment, Art & Activism

AMST 59000 Digital Colonialism

Digital Colonialism

AMST 59000 Young Adult Literature/Culture

Young Adult Literature/Culture

AMST 59000 Deadstock:Politics Of Culture

Deadstock:Politics Of Culture

A reading course in aspects of American Studies directed by the instructor in whose particular field of specialization the content on the reading falls.  Permission of Instructor required.  Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

AMST 59000 West African History

West African History

AMST 59000 Gardens & Machines

Gardens & Machines

AMST 59000 African Amer Hist In 20th Cen

African Amer Hist In 20th Cen

AMST 59000 Kink/Blk Kink In Fest Practice

Kink/Blk Kink In Fest Practice

An exploration of the cultural and institutional history of American Studies designed to acquaint students with the interdisciplinary concepts of American Studies by focusing on major canonical texts associated with that history. Prerequisite: Master's student standing and American Studies majors only.

AMST 60100 Introduction To American Studies

Introduction To American Studies

An investigation of analytical categories, particularly race, class and gender, the multiple methodologies, and theoretical premises that shape developments in the field of American Studies. Prerequisite: AMST 60100.

AMST 60200 Contemporary Issues In American Studies

Contemporary Issues In American Studies

Students will conduct independent research under faculty supervision towards completion of the Special Field examination for the Ph.D. degree. The project should be an extended, original research essay, based upon interdisciplinary research. The project should aim to produce original findings on a clearly defined topic or problem. In addition to the research and essay, students must produce a statement of methodology in which they explain their choice of sources and how their project contributes to the field of American Studies. To be taken in the final semester of coursework. Prerequisite: AMST 60100.

AMST 60300 American Studies Interdisciplinary Project

American Studies Interdisciplinary Project

What does the term transnational mean? How is the term defined, practiced, and studied in different fields? How does one take a transnational perspective, or examine the transnational variable? This course will draw from various fields (sociology, history, anthropology, ethnic studies, etc) to explore contemporary scholarship on transnationalism in theory and in practice. Specifically, we will examine scholarship that either, 1) utilizes the transnational perspective in understanding history, the globe, and human behavior/interactions, or 2) utilizes transnational behaviors/ties as a variable to measurement adaptation. Materials in this course will examine - through the lens of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality - individual and comparative transnational case studies related to the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. This is a graduate seminar, and your active participation in discussions is mandatory. You will be asked to lead four seminar discussions on selected topics from the required readings, write three memos, and submit an extended book review. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring.

AMST 60400 Transnational America: Through A Comparative Lens

Transnational America: Through A Comparative Lens

What does the term "transnational" mean? How is the term defined, practiced, and studied in different fields? How does one take a transnational perspective, or examine the transnational variable? This course will draw from various fields (sociology, history, anthropology, ethnic studies, etc.) to explore contemporary scholarship on transnationalism in theory and in practice. Specifically, we will examine scholarship that either, 1) utilizes the transnational perspective in understanding history, the globe, and human behavior/interactions, or 2) utilizes transnational behaviors/ties as a variable to measurement adaptation. Materials in this course will examine - through the lens of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality - individual and comparative transnational case studies related to the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. This is a graduate seminar, and your active participation in discussions is mandatory. You will be asked to lead four seminar discussions on selected topics from the required readings, write three memos, and submit an extended book review.

AMST 60400 Transnational American Studies

Transnational American Studies

This class is specifically designed to be a survey course on the various methods employed by American Studies scholars from different disciplines. The objective of this course is to approach methods from both an epistemological and empirical perspective. In particular, we will investigate the what, why, and how of conducting research in an interdisciplinary field. As such, the following questions will drive this course: What are American Studies methods? Why are certain methodologies utilized (i.e., for what purpose)? How does one conduct research in American Studies? What method(s) should you use in your own research inquiry? And finally, what are some potential drawbacks in using a certain methodology for your project? This is a graduate seminar, and your active participation in discussions is mandatory. You will be asked to submit weekly discussion questions, lead five seminar discussions on selected topics from the required readings, and complete six assignments. The final assignment will include the background and methodological components of a research proposal.

AMST 60600 American Studies Methods

American Studies Methods

A research seminar required of all M.A. students in their final semester. Students write substantial essays based upon original research in which they seek to crystallize, in practice, methods and concepts of American Studies. Prerequisite: AMST 60100.

AMST 63000 M A Research Seminar

M A Research Seminar

A reading seminar on a selected topic in American Studies, taught by two faculty members from different disciplines, usually one from the humanities and one from the social sciences.  Prerequisite:  AMST 60100. Typically offered Fall Spring.

AMST 65000 Comp Race, Ethnicity Differ

Comp Race, Ethnicity Differ

AMST 65000 Electronic & Time-Based Art

Electronic & Time-Based Art

AMST 65000 Critl & Indigenous Methodology

Critl & Indigenous Methodology

A reading seminar on a selected topic in American Studies, taught by two faculty members from different disciplines, usually one from the humanities and one from the social sciences. Prerequisite: AMST 60100.

AMST Courses

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AMST Courses

.css-1o363pe{width:var(--chakra-sizes-4);height:var(--chakra-sizes-4);}BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students, based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!

BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students,
based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!