ENAM 484: Seminar in American Studies

Syllabus

syllabus version 1.3; last updated 5/18/96.

Texts (available at University of Virginia Bookstore):

• W.J. Cash, The Mind of the South.*
  *Recommended, not required.

Calendar of Meetings

1/19:Organization and Introduction

Sign up for individual conferences M-F of next week; sign up for scanning article; revise and repost final project from ENAM 483 by 1/26.

1/22:

• Stephen M. Fjellman, Vinyl Leaves, pp. 1-57. Clemons Reserve (C)
• Clifford Geertz, Ideology as a Cultural System.

Suggested:

• Anthony Cohen, Culture as Identity: An Anthropologist's Perspective.
• Frederick Jameson, Postmodernism: or the Logic of Late Industrial Capitalism.
• T. Jackson Lears, Beyond Veblen: Rethinking Consumer Culture.
• Roland Marchand, The Parable of the Democracy of Goods.

Revisions of final project from ENAM 483 due 1/26.

1/29:

• Edward Ayers, Introduction from American Regionalism.
• Edward Ayers, What Do We Talk About When We Talk About the South? from American Regionalism.
• Michael O'Brien, The Mind of the Old South and its Accessibility, from Rethinking the South pp. 19-37. (C)
• John Shelton Reid, The South: Where is it? What is it?, Southerners as an American Ethnic Group, New South or No South, and Thoughts on the Southern Diaspora, from My Tears Spoiled My Aim (C)
• David Singal, Cavalier Myth and Victorian Culture from the War Within: From Victorian to Modernist Thought in the South, 1919-1945, pp. 11-33. (C)
• C.Van Woodward, The Search for Southern Identity, The Historical Dimension, and The Irony of Southern History from The Burden of Southern History. (C)

Suggested:

• Explore the Resource Links

2/5:

Charles R. Wilson and William Ferris, eds., Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.(C)

• 2/5:
  • Environment, pp. 315-321, Air Conditioning, pp. 321-323, Kudzu, pp. 383-384, Landscape -- Cultural, pp. 533-541.
  • History and Manners, pp. 583-594, Foodways, pp. 613-614, manners, pp. 634-637.
  • Names, Personal, pp. 778-779, Names, Place, pp. 779-780.
  • Mythic South, pp. 1097-1099, Stereotypes, pp. 1125-1127.
  • note: The whole section on the Mythic South is useful and interesting.
• 2/7:
  • Social Class, pp. 1383-1389, Share cropping and Tenancy, pp. 29-31, Country Store, pp. 15-18, Photography and Photographers, pp. 94-100.
  • Black Life, pp. 135-138, Black Literature, pp. 172-174, Ethnic Life, pp. 401-404, Folklife, pp. 451-457, Folk Tales, pp. 477-478, Storytelling, pp. 488-492.
  • Women's Life, pp. 1519-1526, Religion, pp. 1151-1159, Violence, Crime and Punishment, pp. 1473-1476.
• 2/9:
  • Literature, pp. 839-844, Popular Literature, pp. 861-864.
  • Media, 909-910, Comic Strips, pp. 914-915, Film, Documentary, pp. 918-920.
  • Music, pp. 985-992, Leisure, pp. 1207-1209, Theme Parks, pp. 1243-1244, Wrestling, pp. 1249-1250.

2/12:

• Edgar Allen Poe, The Cask of the Amontillado, the Murders in the Rue Morgue, Ligeia.
• Longstreet, The Horse Swap and The Fight
• George Washington Harris, Mrs. Yardley's Quilting.(C)
• Frederick Douglas, My Escape From Slavery
• Charles W. Chesnutt, The Goophered Grapevine
• Ellen Glasgow, A Point in Morals
• George Washington Cable, The Masked Ball, from The Grandissemes. (C)

Note: Sign up for individual conferences by 2/16

2/19:

• John Crowe Ransom, A Statement of Principles from I'll Take My Stand.
• Allen Tate, Ode to the Confederate Dead.
• Allen Tate, Narcissus as Narcissus
• James Agee, Knoxville, 1915 from A Death in the Family.(C)
• William Faulkner, Was.
• Eudora Welty, Powerhouse.
• Eudora Welty, A Still Moment.
• Eudora Welty, A Worn Path.
• Eudora Welty, Place in Fiction
• Flannery O"Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find,
• Flannery O"Connor, The Artificial Nigger.
• Ralph Ellison, The Battle Royal, from Invisible Man.(C)
• Tom Wolfe, The Last American Hero.

2/26: Individual Conferences.

3/4: Individual Conferences.

Spring Vacation: 3/9-3/17.

3/18: Workshop I:

• Muller, McClellan, Irons
• Murray
• Ayers
• Ramsey, Dobson

3/25: Workshop I:

• Leigh
• Nazarowitz
• McCabe
• Blake
• Semancik

Note: I will be out of town 3/27-3/31.

4/1: Workshop I:

• Nordeman
• Lukas
• Saviola
• Perella

4/8: Workshop II:

NOTE: Editors are expected to lead the discussion of the project on the day assigned it AND they are also expected to do a final editorial reading of the project prior to its submission.

• Monday: Stone Mountain. Editors: Semancik, Saviola, Nazarowitz.
• Wednesday: Uncle Remus. Editors: Lukas, Blake.
• Friday: Confederate Flags. Editor: Leigh.
  ......: Monument Avenue. Editors: Perella, Nordeman.

4/15: Workshop II:

• Monday: Quilts. Editor: Mullen.
• Wednesday: Blues. Editor: McLellan.
• Friday: Blake. Editor: Irons.
  ......: Albion's Seed. Editor: Ayers.

4/22: Workshop II:

• Monday: FSA Photography. Editor: Murray.
• Wednesday: Puddn'head Wilson. Editor: McCabe.
• Friday: Showboat. Editor: Ramsey
  ......, Inherit the Wind. Editor: Dobson

4/29: Last day of classes. We will meet in the Computer Classroom (Bryan 237) to look at all projects.

NOTE: Sign up for project conferences.

4/30-5/3: Project Conferences.

5/3: Exams Begin

NOTE: Final Project due 5/8.

5/10: Exams End.

INDEX of AM484 PROJECTS 1996

Course Evaluation Form