American Lit 1900-present

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines American literature and culture in the twentieth century through three themes that persist across the century: migration and immigration, the complexity of individual and shared identities, and the interconnections among social, political, and artistic change. We’ll focus our exploration around a central theoretical and methodological question: what does it mean to read literature and social history in dialogue, as a contested two-way conversation? We’ll devote the first third of the course to case studies of three decades -- the 1900s, the 1950s, and the 1990s, which will help us identify the core themes as well as key strategies for studying literature in dialogue with social history. The cases will also offer insight into research and teaching about American literature. Students will then study other periods and literary circles, conducting in-depth research on specific texts and preparing to teach the rest of the class about these eras. In the last few weeks of the semester, students will select readings, provide relevant contextual and critical perspectives, and lead discussion. Assignments will likely include regular blog posts, developing a contextual resource paper, and an individual study of how a single text reflects and helped to shape its historical era.