AMST 7410:Literature and Performance in American Culture

3 Credit Hours
Prerequisite: Admission to the graduate program in American Studies or permission of the program director.
Examines the history and cultural work of literary production and of performance as social practices that can be studied in regional, national, and international American contexts. This course draws its readings from both ”literary” and “popular” culture publications. Students may explore both benchmark moments in American literary production (e.g., the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and performance history. They may also examine important longer-term movements in the field of American literature and dramatic performance (e.g., the formation of “American Literature” as a school discipline, developments in publishing, key moments in theater history); and/or approaches for linking history-making and cultural memory to performance texts. Course may be repeated for credit provided the content differs entirely from the previous offering.