Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
CAST 100: Introduction to Comparative American Studies *This is a gateway course to the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies major*
Dr. Kara Thompson
MWF: 10-10:50
King 343
CONTACT
E‐mail: [email protected]
Office: King 141-F
Office hours: MF 11-1
WRITING ASSOCIATE
Emily Gerstner
[email protected]
COURSE NARRATIVE This is a course about storytelling and imagination.
Think about a great piece of fiction, or listening to an imaginative narrative. What hooks you? The
plot? A character? The setting? What makes you want to know more? Does having a sense of the
past, a history of the characters or the setting, help put the present narrative in perspective? Will you
try to explain or retell the narrative to a friend? For the sake of a good story, will you omit small
details, or change a character’s motivations? What will you embellish? If you had to tell a story about
America, what would it be? What images come immediately to mind? Who are the main characters?
Who is omitted altogether?
Throughout the semester, we will be collecting narratives and myths about “America” and its
cultural, political, and historical contours. One of our goals will be to trace the narrative arc, to
examine how a nation becomes an empire. Our approach is depth over breadth, with the first section
of the course focusing on colonization and nation-building practices, and the second section on
immigration, naturalization, and acts of resistance to federal and state immigration policies. Although
we will draw on history and historical methods, this is not a survey course in American history or
politics. Engaging with the theories of methods of American studies means that we draw from other
fields, such as ethnic studies, queer studies, and immigration studies. By the end of the course, I want
you to have the knowledge base and analytical skills necessary to study the U.S. at any given historical
moment, to think about its future from the perspective of its history and its present.
OBJECTIVES •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
To provide an introduction to the field of comparative American studies
To engage critically with notions of U.S. nationalism and globalization
To be able to articulate how knowledge about America is made, disseminated, and reproduced
To introduce methodologies of comparative American studies
To understand and apply keywords, including colonial, nation, foreign, domestic, immigration,
empire, and democracy
To explore the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality circumscribed by operations of
power and U.S. imperialism
To understand how the U.S. has always been transnational
To work with both primary and secondary sources
To develop research, writing, and communication skills
Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
COURSE FORMAT
The course will be a combination of lecture, large-group discussion, and small-group (including oneon-one) work. There are no set days for each of these activities, so be prepared for any and all before
each class meeting. During lectures, you will remain in rows and for other activities, we will assemble
a configuration that works.
POLICIES Discussion: I expect consistent and respectful participation by everyone in the class. However, you may
not contribute to discussion unless a) You have read carefully and conscientiously the assigned reading;
b) You have consistently attended class; and c) At least one comment or question you pose directly
responds to (or builds from) one of your peer’s previous comments. If you make a comment that is offtopic or one that passive-aggressively attacks someone else, I will dismiss your comment and ask to meet
with you outside of class. The topics we will discuss this semester may invoke strong feelings and we must
be mindful that there is never a right answer. Certainly, people will have different opinions and everyone
begins the course with a different skill set and knowledge base. One of the objectives of this course is to
learn strategies for articulating one’s opinion and for responding to others’ comments both articulately
and respectfully.
Attendance: I expect you to attend every class meeting. You may miss up to two classes for reasons
you deem valid—religious holidays, illness, emergencies, inescapable appointments. After that, each
absence will affect your final grade. If you know you will be absent from class, you must let me know
as soon as possible. If you do not attend class, it is your responsibility to ask a fellow class member for
details and catch up. Please do not ask: “Did I miss anything?” If you were absent from class,
you definitely missed something. Participation is a significant amount of your grade and you cannot
participate if you are not in class. Also, being present in class—both physically and mentally—is
crucial to building a cohesive and collegial community.
Cellphones Off and stored in your bag. I will not tolerate errant rings in class—these are extremely disruptive
and disrespectful.
Laptops Many of our readings will be in pdf form, so I understand the need for your computer in class. In
fact, if you choose not to print the articles, I encourage you to bring your computer so you have
the reading immediately available. However, use of laptops for anything not related to the class
lecture or discussion (random Internet browsing, etc) will mean losing laptop privileges.
Timeliness: Assignments must be submitted on time in order to receive full credit. I will deduct 1/3 of
a grade for each 24 hours an assignment is late (i.e., from B+ to B). Assignments submitted later than
one week past the original deadline without a written extension will be given credit at my discretion
and will generally earn no greater than a minimum passing grade. Requests for extensions must be
submitted by email at least 72 hours prior to the assignment due date and are generally available
only for extenuating circumstances. Late papers may not receive written comments. No late
assignments will be accepted past the end of reading period without an approved incomplete from the
Dean of Studies. Extensions on final projects also require an incomplete. There are no exceptions to
this policy.
Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
Assignment Format: All essay assignments (unless directed otherwise) will be submitted via
Blackboard. They must be posted to the Blackboard site before class time on the day they are due.
Do not let this affect your timeliness for class. On essay due dates, class will still begin promptly at
10:00 am. After I make comments and post your grades, I will inform you via email so you may
retrieve your essay annotated with my comments and your grade. Important: You must upload
your essays as .doc files (no Pages, .rtf or .pdf). If your paper is not a .doc file, it will be counted as
late. Finally, it is your responsibility to make sure your essay posts correctly to Blackboard, not mine.
After you attach the file, double-check to be sure you are able to download and open it in Word.
Essays must be double-spaced and use a standard font type and size (11 or 12 pt.). Include your
name, the date, a title, page numbers, and the honor code. Please be sure to proofread carefully for
style and grammar. Use either MLA or Chicago Manual of Style for formatting in-text citations and
endnotes/footnotes/or bibliographies. These style guides are available in the library or under
“Resources” on our course site. Papers that do not follow proper formatting instructions may receive
a 1/3-grade deduction.
P/NP: If you are taking this course P/NP, you must fulfill all course obligations and complete all
assignments in order to receive credit for the course. Please also let me know at the beginning of the
course if you plan to take it P/NP.
Email: I check my email regularly but not obsessively. Do not expect a response from me until at least 24
hours after your email was sent. If you don’t receive a response within 24 hours, then please email me
again to be sure I received the first email.
Honor Code: This course will follow the policies described in the Oberlin College Honor Code and
Honor System. Please include the statement “I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this
assignment” in all written work. If you have any questions about academic honesty, citation, or the
relationship of the Honor Code to your work in this course, please let me know.
Students with Disabilities: If you need disability-related accommodations for your work in this course,
please let me know. Support is available through Student Academic Services—please contact Jane
Boomer, Director of the Office of Disability Services, for assistance in developing a plan to address
your academic needs.
ASSIGNMENTS
Participation: You should participate in at least two different ways: 1) Attend all class meetings; 2)
Participate actively in our class discussions. I take your active participation in this course very
seriously—it comprises 15% of your total grade.
Reading: Make sure you read the assigned selections before each class meeting. I cannot stress how
important it is that you stay engaged with the readings, lectures, and class discussions because this
course depends on momentum. Each reading and each assignment is designed and timed to build
your skills and knowledge base incrementally.
Writing: 1) Essay #1: Critical Engagement (2-3 pages); 2) Essay #2: Research with a Primary Source
(4-6 pages); 3) In-class midterm; 4) Final Essay: In Context (5-7 pages)
Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
Revisions: One of the best methods for improving your writing is to revise and revise again (and probably
several more agains). I will not read drafts before the initial due date, but I urge you to utilize our writing
associate, Emily Gerstner. Additionally, after you receive a grade for an essay, you may revise it up to
three times or until you improve the essay by one whole letter grade, whichever comes first. In other
words, if you made a C, you may revise it up to three times or until you make a B. You will set the
deadline for your revision(s), and with each revision, you must submit a cover letter explaining—in
detail—how you have improved on your previous draft. No revisions will be accepted after May 6.
The final essay, “In Context,” may not be revised.
SUMMARY OF GRADES Participation: 15%
Essay #1: 10%
Essay #2: 20%
Midterm: 25%
Final Essay: 30%
MAJOR DEADLINES February 25: Essay #1
March 18: Essay #2
April 25: Midterm
May 18: Final Essay
SCHEDULE OF READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS Introductions WEEK 1: Feb 7, 9, 11 Intro to CAS Interdisciplinarity ‐and‐ Intersectionality MONDAY Introductions, roll call, the waitlist. Overview of the course and syllabus. WEDNESDAY READ: Eli Clare, Exile and Pride (ix‐xiv; 165‐171; 1‐80) FRIDAY READ: Eli Clare, Exile and Pride (81‐172) Colonialism, Nationalism, and Identity‐Making 2: Feb 14, 16, 18 Foreign Domesticity READ: *David Kazanjian, “Colonial”; *Alys Eve Weinbaum, “Nation”; *Rosemary Marangoly George, “Domestic” NO CLASS: BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION READ: *Daniel Kanstroom, "Indian Removal, Fugitive Slave Laws, and 'Colonization'" (63‐90) READ: *Amy Kaplan, “Introduction,” The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture (1‐22) Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
3: Feb 21, 23, 25 Inventing Identity READ: *Siobhan Somerville, introduction to Queering the Color Line (1‐14) READ: *Somerville, “Scientific Racism and the Invention of the Homosexual Body” (15‐38) DUE: Essay #1 4: Feb 28, Mar 2, 4 Gaze; Spectacle; Mimicry 5: Mar 7, 9, 11 Gaze; Spectacle; Mimicry, cont. READ: *Susan Schweik, “Introduction” to The Ugly Laws (1‐22) MEET IN LIBRARY TODAY READ *Susan Schweik, “Race, Segregation, and the Ugly Law” (184‐206) READ: *Rosemarie Garland Thomson, “The Cultural Work of American Freak Shows, 1835‐1940” (55‐80) READ: *L.G. Moses “Indians on the Midway: Fairs and Expositions, 1893‐1903” (129‐
149) 6: Mar 14, 16, 18 Performing Identity READ: Continue discussion of Moses; *Simon Pokagon, “Red Man’s Rebuke” READ: *Jeff Berglund, “P.T. Barnum’s American Exhibition of Fiji Cannibals” (29 – 76); *Elizabeth Alexander, “The Venus Hottentot” (5 – 10)
READ: *Zitkala‐Sa, “The School Days of an Indian Girl” and “An Indian Teacher Among Indians” Citizenship, Immigration/Naturalization, Resistance 7: Mar 21, 23, 25 Performing Identity; Immigration & American Exceptionalism 8: Mar 28, 30, Apr 1 SPRING BREAK, NO CLASSES 9: Apr 4, 6, 8 Immigration & American Exceptionalism, cont.; Exclusions 10: Apr 11, 13, 25 Sexualized/Racialized Exclusions 11: Apr 18, 20, 22 Direct Response, Direct Action DUE: Essay #2 READ: *Lucy Maddox, “A Mighty Drama: The Politics of Performance” (17‐53) READ: Immigrant Rights, 142‐178 READ: INCITE!, 119‐129 READ: INCITE!, 130‐137; Immigrant Rights, 207‐225 READ: *Daniel Kanstroom, “English Roots, Colonial Controls, and Criminal Transportation” and The Alien and Sedition Acts” (23‐63) READ: Immigrant Rights, 1‐39 READ: *Eithne Luibhheid, “A Blueprint for Exclusion: The Page Law, Prostitution, and Discrimination Against Chinese Women” (31‐
54) READ: Immigrant Rights, 226‐245 READ: Immigrant Rights, 55‐93 READ: Immigrant Rights, 246‐282; 40‐
54 READ: Immigrant Rights, 301‐314; DREAM Act MIDTERM Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
12: Apr 25, 27, 29 Democracy, Terrorism & National Security READ: Immigrant Rights, 286‐300; 347‐382 READ: *Gary Gerstle, "The Immigrant as Threat to American Security" (pp. 217‐245) READ: INCITE!, 92‐96; Immigrant Rights, 402‐423 Literary Nationalism & New Imaginaries 13: May 2, 4, 6 Organizing 14: May 9, 11, 13 Organizing and the Imagination READ: Immigrant Rights, 94‐138 READ: Toni Morrison, Playing the Dark READ: Karen Tei Yamashita, Tropic of Orange READ: Karen Tei Yamashita, Tropic of Orange READ: Karen Tei Yamashita, Tropic of Orange FINAL COURSE WRAP UP: Or, What’s CAS again? FINAL ESSAY DUE: May 18, 9:00 pm (no exceptions, no extensions, no revisions) REQUIRED BOOKS Available in the Oberlin College bookstore
Buff, Rachel, ed. Immigrant Rights: In the Shadows of Citizenship. NYU Press, 2008.
Clare, Eli. Exile and Pride: Queerness, Disability, and Liberation. South End Press, 2009.
Morrison, Toni. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. Vintage, 1992.
Yamashita, Karen Tei. Tropic of Orange. Coffee House Press, 1997
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ARTICLES/CHAPTERS *Articles will be available through Blackboard under “Readings”
Alexander, Elizabeth. “The Venus Hottentot.” In The Venus Hottentot. Charlottesville: University
Press of Virginia, 1990. 5 – 10.
Berglund, Jeff. “P.T. Barnum’s American Exhibition of Fiji Cannibals (1871 – 1873).” In Cannibal
Fictions: American Explorations of Colonialism, Race, Gender, and Sexuality. Madison: The University of
Wisconsin Press, 2006. 29 – 76.
Garland Thomson, Rosemarie. “The Cultural Work of American Freak Shows, 1835-1940.”
Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature. New York: Columbia
UP, 1997. 55-80.
George, Rosemary Marangoly. “Domestic.” Keywords for American Cultural Studies. Ed. Bruce Burgett
and Glenn Hendler. New York University Press, 2007. 88-92.
Gerstle, Gary. "The Immigrant as Threat to American Security: A Historical Perspective." From
Arrival to Incorporation: Migrants to the U.S. in a Global Era. Ed. Elliot R. Barkan, Hasia Diner, and
Alan M. Kraut. New York UP, 2008. 217-245.
Comparative American Studies
CAST 100
Oberlin College
Spring, 2011
Kanstroom, Daniel. Selections. Deportation Nation: Outsiders in American History. Cambridge: Harvard
UP, 2007.
Kaplan, Amy. “Introduction,” The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture. Harvard UP, 2002.
1-22.
Kazanjian, David. “Colonial.” Keywords for American Cultural Studies. Ed. Bruce Burgett and Glenn
Hendler. New York University Press, 2007. 52-56.
Luibhheid, Eithne. “A Blueprint for Exclusion: The Page Law, Prostitution, and Discrimination Against
Chinese Women.” Entry Denied: Controlling Sexuality at the Border. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota
Press, 2002. 31-54.
Maddox, Lucy. “A Mighty Drama: The Politics of Performance.” Citizen Indian: Native American
Intellectuals, Race, and Reform. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2006. 17-53.
Moses, L.G. “Indians on the Midway: Fairs and Expositions, 1893-1903.” Wild West Shows and the
Images of American Indians: 1883-1933. University of New Mexico Press, 1999. 129-149.
Pokagon, “Red Man’s Rebuke.” American Indian Nonfiction: An Anthology of Writings: 1760s-1930s. Ed.
Bernd C. Peyer. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007. 233-239.
Schweik, Susan. “Introduction” and “Race, Segregation, and the Ugly Law.” The Ugly Laws. New York
University Press, 2010; 1-22; 184-206.
Somerville, Siobhan. “Introduction” and “Scientific Racism and the Invention of the Homosexual Body.
Queering the Color Line. Durham: Duke UP, 1999. 1-14; 15-38.
Weinbaum, Alys Eve. “Nation.” Keywords for American Cultural Studies. Ed. Bruce Burgett and Glenn
Hendler. New York University Press, 2007. 164-170.
Zitkala-Sa, “The School Days of an Indian Girl” and “An Indian Teacher Among Indians.” American
Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings. Ed. Cathy Davidson and Ada Norris. New York: Penguin,
2003.