AMST 3650: Southern Cultures

3 Credit Hours

This course offers a thematic study of the cultural, social, and economic patterns of the American South using texts and methods from a variety of disciplines, such as history, literature, and sociology. Employing the techniques of critical reading and historical analysis, students interrogate texts ranging from contemporary novels, to film and media representations, to primary historical documents, to land-based learning to gain a fuller understanding of the multiple narratives and cultures that comprise the South.

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

Distinguish between stereotypical and realistic portrayals of Southern peoples and cultures as they appear in both academic and popular texts.
Evaluate the ways that cultural and historical contexts have shaped Southern identity.
Apply key concepts in American Studies to Southern texts.
Develop original arguments that draw on literary, historical, cultural, and/or theoretical approaches to the South.