Lecture 1 "What is American Studies" Flashcards
American Studies is an:
interdisciplinary cultural studies program
Cultural Hegemony:
the dominant culture
Texts:
anything invested with meaning
Society:
institutions and principles that organize a group of people. (political & economical)
Social issues:
questions and conflicts affecting institutions and systems; (health care, depression, gay rights, etc.)
Traditional History:
focuses on the big “T” Truth; has a Master Narrative
American Studies has a:
multiplicity of perspectives
multiple “t” truths
is plastic
“History from Below”
accounts from minorities; (Native Americans, African Americans, the oppressed, prisoners, immigrants, etc.)
Methods of Inquiry are:
Phenomenological, analytical, and critical
Phenomenological:
lived experiences of people as texts.
the researcher use themselves as tools to understand the lived experiences
Analytical:
the deconstruction of ideas and elements of a text to better understand the meaning, and use of the text.
Critical:
To question the existence & relevance of social & cultural structures & practices
To analyze the text within its context
To make informed & reflexive judgements
The Interpreting Subject is:
(You)- the person interpreting a text.
Objectifying a subject can be dangerous because it causes:
a lack of empathy
ignorance
slavery (extreme)
“Othering” is a process by which:
certain subjects are excluded from social and cultural formations, and often indicates social inequality and restriction of personal agency.
