New York – Modern Global Cluster (IS135f)

This cluster will focus on New York City as an enormously influential place. We will pursue in-depth study and analysis of a wide range of cultural “texts” produced in and about New York, from literature to visual culture to the built environment, and we will situate those works in larger historical, political, and economic contexts. Why do so many people move to New York, and what do they do when they arrive? How does New York serve as an economic and cultural “control center” in a globalized world? And what might our intense focus on this city and its people teach us about the powerful forces that shape our worlds, at the local, national, and global levels? An all-expenses paid October field trip to New York will be a central aspect of the cluster. See American Studies 135A, American Studies 135B, and English 135 for course descriptions. Satisfies the Historical Studies, Literature, Social Science and English Composition (W1) distribution requirements. Twelve credit hours. BURKE, LISLE, MCFADDEN

AM135A  New York City: Global Crossroads

An interdisciplinary exploration of New York as a center of 20th-century American economic, cultural, and political power, focused on the city as the site both of extensive immigration from abroad and of internal migration within the United States. Key topics include the city’s leadership in global economic exchange and capitalist development; its centrality to American visual arts, music, literature, film, and theater; and the role of a diverse range of immigrants and migrants in shaping local, national, and global economies and cultures. Interdisciplinary critical thinking, textual analysis, critical writing, and active discussion will be emphasized. Part of the three-course Integrated Studies 135, “New York: Modern Global City.”
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in American Studies 135B and English 135.Four credit hours. H. MCFADDEN

AM135B  Space, Place, and New York City

Examines historical and contemporary New York City using the twin concepts of place and space. Pivots on the escalating significance of place in a world of modernization and globalization. We explore New York as a “global city”–an economic and cultural control center. While considering how New York capitalists “produce” space near and far, we also investigate expressions and consequences (positive and negative) of global capitalism on the city streets, how place constructs cultural and political identity, and the role of the built environment in cultivating identity. In this discussion-based course, students will develop skills of spatial, material, textual, and historical analysis and critical writing. Part of the three-course Integrated Studies 135, “New York: Global City.”
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in American Studies 135A and English 135. Four credit hours S. LISLE

EN135  Literary New York

A writing-intensive course, using the literature produced in different eras and locations of New York City as content, and as a means of reflecting the economic and cultural dynamism of the city. Sample periods include the Gilded Age, Jewish Immigration, the Beats, Black Arts, and the rise of Wall Street. Involves both close reading of imaginative texts in several genres and mimicry of some of those texts, as well as traditional expository essays. Intensive writing in various modes and active discussion will be emphasized. Part of the three-course Integrated Studies 135, “New York: Global City.”
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in American Studies 135A and 135B. Four credit hours.   L, W1. BURKE