AMST 7450:American Visual Culture

3 Class Hours 0 Laboratory Hours 3 Credit Hours
Prerequisite: Admission to the graduate program in American Studies or permission of the program director.
Examines the history and cultural influences of visual culture in American life and the impact of U.S. visual culture in a global context. Emphasis is on the aesthetic, economic, and technological aspects of the film industry and/or visual culture more broadly. Course content may deal with: the history of film, television, photography, painting, sculpture, and/or architecture; the role of particular visual artists, film-makers or producers in shaping popular culture; tensions between high art, popular and commercial culture; or the role of visual culture in the American landscape. Students read from the texts to gain historical perspective, see documentary films dealing with film, the visual arts or landscape, analyze selected works, and consult reviews to ascertain the works’ critical reception and impact on the community. The course may involve visits to off-campus sites. Course may be repeated for credit provided the content differs entirely from the previous offerings.