Wayward Americans:
Rebels, Vigilantes, and Social Outcasts
American Studies 050:324:80
Tuesdays, 6:00 – 8:40pm
Brookdale Community College
Western Monmouth Branch Campus
Instructor: Sara Perryman
Office hours:
Tuesdays 1/2 hour before and after class
and by appointment
[email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course examines the expectations that Americans have placed on political, social, cultural, and
economic behavior, and how the violation of established norms in these different arenas has led to
ostracization, conflict, and repression. We will explore “wayward” actions committed by Americans as
both the consequence of different forms of exclusion, and as conscious resistance against the dominant
order. Through an engagement with scholarly texts, legal cases, novels, film, advertising, art, and music,
we will explore how definitions of what constitutes wayward behavior have changed over time. In
addition, we will analyze how outsider statuses have informed the construction of racial, sexual,
gendered, classed, and religious identities. Finally, we will grapple with the converse of waywardness:
obedience and normalcy. What has it meant, historically and in the present, to fulfill expectations and
conform to “normal” social behavior? Is anyone every truly normal? And what, exactly, does it mean to
be an “American” anyway?
LEARNING GOALS
Departmental Learning Goals
Students will learn to synthesize interdisciplinary sources and methods of analysis in order to conduct an
investigation of American culture across time and space in the history, politics, literature, and arts of the
peoples of the United States. Students will be able to write well, speak articulately, and think critically,
analytically, and creatively.
Learning Goals Specific to This Course
To assess what it means to be “wayward” and evaluate in what ways traditions, norms, and
expectations have governed the behavior of American individuals, groups, and institutions.
To offer a detailed, nuanced, and sustained analysis of how behavior has been defined both
normatively and through radical and alternative perspectives.
To understand how the concept of waywardness is historical and contingent, has changed over
time, and relates to different ideologies.
CLASS ATTENDANCE and PARTICIPATION
Your attendance and participation are critical to the successful completion of this course. Students are
expected to attend all classes; if you expect to miss class, please use the University absence reporting
website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is
automatically sent to me. PLEASE NOTE: this procedure does not qualify as an excused absence; you
must speak with me directly in order to have an absence excused. Because this class meets only once per
week, more than one unexcused absence will negatively impact your participation and, thus, final grade.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. After the first class period, I will send around a
sign-in sheet. It is your responsibility to make sure that your name is on the list. Absence from more than
1/3 of the class (5 class periods) will automatically result in a failing grade. No exceptions.
You are required to complete the assigned readings for the day on which they are listed in the syllabus.
Please bring the assigned readings to class on the day they will be discussed for easy reference. Each
week will be guided by a constellation of keywords intended to both clarify concepts and inspire critical
thinking. A brief lecture will begin most class periods, but the bulk of our time will be spent in active
discussion. This means that everyone must come to class fully prepared to take part in the teaching and
learning experience. Please bring questions and comments about the readings, as well as any relevant
events (news stories, cultural happenings, and so on) that help tie the readings to issues important to you
and the larger global community. If I feel the class is not keeping up with the readings, I reserve the right
to give pop-quizzes at the beginning of class.
The topics that will be discussed in this class are often difficult and emotionally challenging; new and
unexpected information can be confusing and uncomfortable. However, being uncomfortable often
pushes us past what we think we know and allows us to see things in a different light. I expect students to
be willing to face that discomfort and explore these topics collectively. When dealing with issues like
gender, race, sexuality, class, religion, etc., respect for others is of the utmost importance. Therefore, I
will stress respect over comfort in the creation of a safe classroom environment. Thoughtful opinions are
welcome and encouraged (this class is about critical thinking, not conversion), but disrespect or rudeness
towards others will result in a lower participation grade.
These are my expectations of you. Please feel free to let me know what, if anything, you expect from me.
This is your education and I urge you to push yourself and take advantage of all the resources available to
you. The more you participate, the more you will learn from the course and the more you will enrich the
entire classroom community.
GRADING
(15%) Attendance and participation: Based on attendance and contributions to class discussions.
PLEASE NOTE: each unexcused absence beyond the one permitted will result in a deduction of ½
grade for attendance and participation.
(20%) Reading quizzes: There will be 4 scheduled reading quizzes throughout the semester. Each will
be worth 25 points for a total of 100 points. No make-up quizzes will be permitted.
(20%) In-class midterm exam: The in-class midterm will consist of multiple choice, true/false, short
answer, and one essay question. Questions will be based on class readings, lectures, films, discussions,
and keywords.
(20%) In-class final exam: Same as above.
(25%) Final Assignment: Your final assignment is to complete a ‘digital essay,’ which will be
compiled alongside your classmates’ work on a website—American Waywardness—that I will be
creating. The goal is to create a digital encyclopedia of waywardness covering a wide-range of topics,
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individuals, and groups. To this end, you will complete a case study on the wayward American or
Americans of your choosing. In addition to researching your subject using secondary sources, you will
also be required to use at least three primary, archival sources in this assignment. (please stay tuned for
additional details on this assignment).
Abstract and bibliography = 5%
Final essay = 20%
Grading scale is as follows:
92 – 100 = A; 87 – 91 = B+; 81 – 86 = B; 77 – 80 = C+; 70 – 76 = C; 60 – 69 = D; 0 – 59 = F
PLEASE NOTE: there are no minus grades at Rutgers.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America, Elliot J. Gorn, 9780809070947
Passing, Nella Larsen, 9780393979169
Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feinberg, 9781555838539
The Round House, Louise Erdrich, 9780062065247
Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, Will Potter,
9780872865389
POLICIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS
Academic Integrity: You will be held to the Rutgers Policy on Academic Integrity, which can be
found online at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml.
Disability Support Services: Students with disabilities can find information and resources at Rutgers
Disability Support Services: http://disabilityservices.rutgers.edu/. Please do not hesitate to email me if
you have any specific accommodations that need to be arranged.
Electronic Gadgetry: It goes without saying that cell phone use (including text messaging) is
prohibited in class. Please turn off all cell phones upon your arrival and keep them out of sight for the
duration of class. Computers are permitted for note taking purposes only. Video games, email, and social
networking sites are not allowed. Students who insist on disrupting the learning environment by engaging
in gadget-related conversations other than the one in class will have their participation grade lowered.
Tuesday, January 22: America Imagined
Course overview and explanation of syllabus
Tuesday, January 29:
Keywords: culture, subculture, ideology, hegemony
Dick Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning of Style, “Introduction: Subculture and Style” and “From
Culture to Hegemony,” pages 1 – 22 (ON SAKAI).
In class: Discussion—what does it mean to be an American?
Tuesday, February 5: Early Radical Movements
Keywords: discourse, power, normativity
Elliot J. Gorn, Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America, “Introduction” and
chapters 1 – 6.
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In class: Film clips, Modern Times and Strike!; songs of Joe Hill
Tuesday, February 12: QUIZ #1
Keywords: capitalism, socialism, anarchism
Gorn, Mother Jones, chapters 7 – 10 and “Epilogue.”
Milestones in Labor History
In class: Occupy movement
Tuesday, February 19: Racial Formations/Exclusions
Keywords: race, racism, racialization
Nella Larsen, Passing, “Introduction” and Parts 1 – 3.
Court cases: Takao Ozawa v. United States (1922), Bhagat Singh Thind v. United States (1923)
In class: Film clips, Imitation of Life and Cornered (performance piece by Adrian Piper)
Tuesday, February 26: Gender/Sexual Outlaws
Keywords: sex, gender, masculinity, femininity, transgender
Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues, chapters 1 – 13.
Milestones is the American Gay Rights Movement
In class: Film clips, Before Stonewall
Tuesday, March 5: QUIZ #2
Keywords: sexuality, heteronormativity
Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues, chapters 14 – 26.
Court case: Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
2013 Inaugural speech by President Barack Obama
In class: Film clips, Paris Is Burning and Pick Up the Mic
Tuesday, March 12: IN-CLASS MIDTERM EXAM
Tuesday, March 19: NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK
Tuesday, March 26: Resisting Colonial Practices
Keywords: state, nation, nationalism, cultural nationalism
Louise Erdrich, The Round House, chapters
Legal status of Native Americans; Office of Tribal Justice, USDOJ
In class: Film clips, The Canary Effect: Kill the Indian, Save the Man
Tuesday, April 2: QUIZ #3
Keywords: colonialism, imperialism, internal colonization
Erdrich, The Round House, chapters
In class: Film clips, The Exiles and Reel Injun
Tuesday, April 9: Outside the Law
Keywords: discipline, panoptic surveillance
Will Potter, Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege,
chapters 1 – 6.
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In class: US Patriot Act, Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
Tuesday, April 16: QUIZ #4
Keywords: direct-action, non-violence, ‘domestic terrorism’
Potter, Green Is the New Red, chapters 7 – 11.
In class: Film clips, If a Tree Falls
Tuesday, April 23: Sounding Different
Keywords: orientalism, othering
Edward Said, “Islam as News,” The Edward Said Reader, 169 – 194.
Sanjiv Bhattacharya, “How Islamic Punk Went from Fiction to Reality,”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/04/islamic-punk-muslim-taqwacores.
Lyndsey Matthews, “The Latino Crescent: Latinos Make A Place for Themselves in Muslim
America,” http://www.brooklynrail.org/2009/09/local/the-latino-crescent.
In class: Film clips, New Muslim Cool and Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam
Tuesday, April 30: IN-CLASS FINAL EXAM
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