AMST 3600: American Futures

3 Credit Hours

What hopes, possibilities, fears, and concerns (should) inform our thinking about American futures? Turning to the work of scholars, artists, activists, or leaders, this course mines historical, theoretical, and cultural texts to better understand some of the threats that may compromise American futures as well as interventions for crafting alternative and more equitable paths forward. The course may focus on how a particular genre (e.g., dystopia), political philosophy (e.g., democratic socialism), or social goal/issue (e.g., sustainability) imagines, critiques, and finds hope in American futures.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Examine how the concept of the future has animated religious belief, scientific inquiry, and/or political mobilization.
Explain how ideologies of progress shape visions of the future that privilege certain social groups while harming others.
Assess literary, visual, scientific, and/or political texts and their role in reflecting or shaping ideas about the future.
Debate the merits of proposed solutions and visions of the future in relation to our course topic.