As of 2018-19 American Conversations will be offering a redesigned set of courses
AmCon 210 Journeys and Encounters
The dynamic, multidimensional character of American culture originates in the journeys and encounters of groups defined by race/ethnicity and factors such as gender, religion, sexual orientation and social class. As they respond to opportunities, challenges, and conflicts groups construct meaning and produce art and literature. Using the tools of social science and artistic and literary studies, students will examine resulting changes and how institutions, ideas, and policies shape (and are shaped by) these processes.
Previous offerings:
AmCon 201: Re-making America, 1865-1945
Sophomore Year, Semester I
Students return to Amcon in the fall of their second year to discover an America transformed by technology, capitalism, immigration and African-American migration to Northern cities. “Remaking America” focuses on the period between the Civil War and World War II, when cities like Chicago grew at an unprecedented rate and new communities of Americans sought opportunity there.
Industrialization and the market economy offered both promise for improving everyday life and numerous challenges, particularly regarding the safety and security of those at the bottom of the economic ladder. In this course, we study the countless ways in which America transformed – from workplaces to leisure activities such as Vaudeville and movies. And we consider the ways in which American identity as a whole was transformed by the cultural contributions of African-Americans, Eastern and Southern European immigrants, and Asian immigrants.
Explore some of the topics, themes, and student projects in Amcon 201