History 361 Office:
UC 526
Spring 2005 Phone:
x6231
Prof. Andrew R.
Heinze Hours:
T 11:45-1:45
e-mail: heinzea@usfca.edu and
by appointment
Homepage: http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/heinzea/
This
class will survey the rich history of American popular culture, especially its
development in the twentieth century.
We will examine the rise of a city culture in the U.S., the genre of the
Western in literature, music and film, "pulp fiction," uniquely
American musical forms, such as Country & Western, Jazz, and Rock, and the
golden age of radio and television, with a special focus on the sitcom as a
reflection of America’s complex urban culture.
I would hope
that, after completing the course, students will: 1) have a better
understanding of the nature and complexity of American popular culture, 2) know
how to identify themes and values in various cultural forms, such as the crime
story or the Western, 3) have an understanding of what culture is and how it
functions as a transmitter and mediator of social values.
In-class
requirements: This class relies heavily on the reading assignments, which means
every student must come prepared to discuss the day's assignment in depth. I will deepen the class
discussion with "lecture" material, but there will be few standard,
50-minute lectures. The emphasis on
comprehension of the required books requires an active interchange between teacher and student, and among
students. Students who show themselves
intent on mastering the readings and creating a meaningful academic discussion
will be rewarded on earth as in heaven.
Graded
Requirements: 100% of the final grade will be based on five multiple-choice
tests.
There will be no make-up tests and no
extra credit assignments.
If you cannot be present for any one of
the tests, you should not enroll in this class.
Please:
no eating during class, and no note-passing or private chats.
Required
books
Gunther Barth, City People: The Rise of Modern City Culture
in Nineteenth-Century America; John G. Cawelti, Adventure, Mystery, and Romance; Bill C. Malone, Singing Cowboys and Musical Mountaineers:
Southern Culture and the Roots of Country Music; Susan J. Douglas, Listening
In: Radio and the American Imagination; John F. Kasson, Houdini, Tarzan,
and the Perfect Man; David Marc, Demographic
Vistas: Television in American Culture
Syllabus
Week 1 City Culture
Jan
25: Introduction.
Jan
27: Read Barth, 3-57.
Week 2 City Culture
Feb
1: Read Barth, 58-109.
Feb
3: Read Barth, 110-234.
Week 3 Pulp Fiction
Feb
8:Test #1 (15 pts. Covers material from weeks 1-2)
Feb
10: Read Cawelti, 1-50.
Week 4 Pulp Fiction: Crimes of the City
Feb
15: Read Cawelti, 51-79.
Feb
17: Read Cawelti, 80-105,.
Week 5 Pulp Fiction: The Hard-Boiled Detective
Feb
22: Read Cawelti, 139-161.
Feb
24: Read Cawelti, 162-191.
Week 6 Pulp
Fiction: The Western
Mar
1: Read Cawelti, 192-259.
Mar
3: Test #2 (30 pts. Covers material from weeks 3-6)
Week 7 The
Masculine Ideal
Mar 8: Read Kasson, 3-76.
Mar 10: Read Kasson, 77-156.
Mar
15: Read Kasson, 157-224.
Mar
17: Test #3 (15 pts. Covers material from weeks 7-8)
Spring Break (Mar 21-25)
Mar
29: Read Malone, 1-68.
Mar
31: Read Malone, 69-116.
Week 10 Jazz, Blues, Rock: The Rise
of an American City Music
Apr
5: Internet site, to be assigned.
Apr
7: Internet site, to be assigned.
Week 11 Radio Days
Apr 12: Test
#4 (10 pts. Covers
material from weeks 9-10)
Apr 14: Read Douglas, 3-82.
Week 12 The
Radio Age, and Beyond
Apr
19: Read Douglas, 83-123.
Apr
21: Read Douglas,.199-283.
Apr
26: Read Douglas, 284-327.
Apr
28: Read Marc, 1- 63.
May
3: Read Marc, 129-189. In class: “Beverly Hillbillies” & “The Honeymooners”
May 5: In class: “Seinfeld”
Week 15 Overview of American Popular Culture
May 10: Concluding discussion.
May 12: Test #5 (30 pts. Covers material from weeks 11-15)