The Suburbs in American Literature and Film

3 Credits

Explores through written expression and through cinema the diverse and changing world of US suburbia. Premised on two arguments: (1) the suburbs embody many of the contours and contradictions of American life; and (2) the suburbs are far more racially, ethnically, culturally, sexually, economically diverse than mass media suggests. Investigation via prose, poetry, drama, and cinema, as well as secondary sources in sociology, women's studies, ethnic studies, history, cultural studies, psychology, anthropology, and the history of science and technology.