American Studies Major & Minor

More than Mascots! In this course we will analyze fiction, memoire, mainstream and independent film, folklore, photography, and popular culture artifacts to explore the role the American Indian has played in the American imagination and how Native artists and activists have responded to these images. Students will use methods from American Studies, and cultural and literary studies in understanding the complex shaping of cultural identity.

Introduction to the study of America from an interdisciplinary perspective, emphasizing critical analysis of culture though exploration of a wide range of cultural artifacts, including literary and historical texts, visual images and material objects. Students will examine the many aspects of thought, expression, and behavior that have shaped and defined the complex society of the United States while exploring their own relationship to America's diverse history and culture. Of particular concern are the diverse cultural experiences and meaning that shape individual and collective notions of American identity. Limited to 25.

The course analyzes the industry of sports, especially professional and big-time college sports, using and developing tools of economic analysis, mainly microeconomics. Topics include the salary structure of professional team sports and the effects of free agency; the factors affecting sports attendance; the value of sports programming to broadcasters, and the effect of television revenues; the effect of the NCAA on television contracts and student-athlete choices; the economic effects of professional sports franchises and stadia.