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AMERICAN STUDIES EXTENDED UNIVERSITY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS - SPRING 2008 EXTENDED UNIVERSITY West Side Courses – call 925-8669 for locations 310.010 Sports in America F 10:00 – 3:00 Richter *First 8 weeks When we talk about sports in America and around the world, our conversations are informed by different sets of learned and assumed notions of what sports signifies culturally, and how we view the people who play them. The world of professional and amateur sports has been alternately blamed for shaping negative aspects of our culture, and for accurately reflecting our societal values, while still being valorized as a unique means of changing individual social class. Issues of race and gender are central to conversations about sports, and the ways that minorities and women are manipulated through publicity and marketing serve to mask the socioeconomic disparities on a greater national scale. The increased commodification of culture and the binds of globalization are also played out it the arena of sports. For these reasons, it is important to examine sports and sports culture under these various lenses. This class will discuss sports within the context of US culture, but not limit our conversation to American borders. For instance, how do baseball players "farmed" from the Dominican Republic to play in the United States represent a new aspect of globalization that affects both the national economy of the D.R., but also American players in Major League Baseball? How does the lack of professional women's leagues in America push American women out of the country and into foreign leagues, thus making it seem as if there are no professional-caliber female athletes in the United States? Throughout this course, we will synthesize information about the various places where sport intersects our lives, directly and indirectly. Students will be required to think critically and to write clearly about this intriguing topic that has become so ubiquitous that we often fail to notice its pervasiveness. Ultimately, we will try to answer the question: "What are we really discussing when we talk about sports?" 340.020 UFO's in America F 10:00 – 3:00 Dewan *First 8 weeks This course traces the emergence and continued subsistence of the UFO phenomenon in American culture, from its origins in the Cold War era to its prosperousness in the Internet Age. In dealing with topics such as contemporary folk traditions, Cold War paranoia, conspiracy culture, and new religious movements, this course will teach students to critically examine how contemporary belief systems are formulated and integrated into popular culture, as well as how these beliefs inhabit "battlegrounds" of meaning between modern rationalist and quasi-religious ideologies. 340.031 Urban Legends F 10:00 – 3:00 Fields *Second 8 weeks Arts and Sciences group: Humanities This course is an exploration of urban legends in contemporary culture. We will explore recurring themes and means of transmission, as well as the cultural meanings and interpretations that have been ascribed to them. Our readings and discussions will examine the underlying components of these stories, including issues of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and ideology. 363.001 Chicano/Latino Film F 10:00 – 3:00 Vizcaíno *Second 8 Weeks Arts & Sciences group: Fine Arts Examines the history of Latin film images and depictions in America from the Silent Period to the present. The course also examines films produced by Chicanos/Latinos in the contemporary period. In this regard, the course seeks to understand Latino/a filmmaking as a self-representational medium and as a response and an affirmation of the Latino/a experience in America. In this course we will have the opportunity to screen feature-length films, Chicano/a docudrama and Latino/a independent and experimental films. We will study Chicano/Latino film as a form of cultural representation and communication. Additionally, we will consider such questions as film narration, symbolism and Latino/a subjectivity in film. The film titles we will see this semester have been selected for their subject matter and approach as well as for their innovation in style and technique. A partial list of films includes: Salt of the Earth, The Ring, Zoot Suit, Stand and Deliver, Break of Dawn, El Norte, Real Women Have Curves, I Am Joaquin and work by Lourdes Portillo, Sylvia Morales, Luis Valdez and other filmmakers. Kirtland Air Force Base – call 260-1354 for location details 182.002 Intro to Environment/Science/Tech TR 5:30 – 8:00 Richter *First 8 weeks Arts & Sciences group: Social Sciences / Core Curriculum: Social Sciences An introduction to American attitudes toward nature, science, technology and to the impacts of those attitudes on built and natural environments regionally, nationally and globally. This course covers the period from World War II to the present, focusing on the environmental effects of such diverse scientific and technological products as chemical pesticides, nuclear power, and television. In this course we will look at current environmental issues, delving into contentious topics and passionate debates, while asking difficult questions. How does consumerism impact the environment, and how much stuff do we really need? Is wilderness a necessity or a luxury? Should an endangered fish have water rights? Are pesticides giving us cancer? We'll consider debates within the scientific community, explore conflicts between developers and environmentalists, and look at the promise and limitations of technological solutions. ONLINE COURSE 310D.021 Women Artists of the American West MW 7:00-8:00 Ressler Arts & Sciences group: Fine Arts (On-line course - Required online chat: Monday and Wednesday evenings, 7-8pm) This course is taught entirely on the Internet. It presents the vital contributions that women have made to the visual art and history of the American West and focuses on women artists who are living or have lived west of the Mississippi River during the 19th- and 20th-centuries. Students will study a broad range of subjects that include Native American Potters, Women on the Pacific Rim, Lesbian Photography, and Quilt making in New Mexico. Additional historical readings introduce the four course themes: Community, Identity, Spirituality, and Locality. Designed to develop a learning community, students will learn how to extend discussion outside the conventional classroom by interacting in wholly online (Internet) chat rooms and other discussion forums. Projects include weekly writings and independent written or visual research. Highlights include guest lectures, an optional field trip, and CD-ROM. For more information, special technology fees and computer requirements, please go to the EU Website at eu.unm.edu
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