This course examines pervasive issues of difference and inequality in the U.S. through the lens of social service and nonprofit organizations. Students will learn about major American social movements, what cultural values cause and seek to remedy them (and how), and will research a social justice cause of their choosing. Students will apply course concepts by volunteering at a social justice nonprofit; students should expect to contribute out-of-class time to developing a relationship with this organization. Transportation is not necessary. Prerequisites: DBTU-114, WRIT-101/101G
How do individual American voices influence and interact with American culture? Students in this course explore the development of key issues in American identity and culture through individual expressions such as memoir, song, fiction, film, photography, and poetry. By examining ideas and products of influential and diverse American thinkers from a variety of disciplines, this course approaches American culture from a multivocal, multimodal perspective.
This course examines cultural and social issues surrounding immigration in the U.S., in the past and present. Students will analyze historical, literary, and cultural texts of immigrants and immigration and navigate multiple perspectives on related issues like assimilation and acculturation, race and xenophobia, language and culture, and ethnic experience. Students will develop their Confidence competency by using reasoning and evidence to challenge arguments and reach conclusions about immigration and American diversity.
This course explores diversity in America through the political and cultural legacy of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s approach to democracy, particularly perspectives on freedom, nationality, culture, and race, have shaped the current American landscape. Students examine Jefferson’s legacy through close analysis of historical texts, as well as through analysis of contemporary representations of these texts and of Jefferson himself. Students will identify how Jefferson’s perspectives on individual rights and freedom inform cultural values that permeate American institutions, particularly surrounding issues of difference and inequality.
Red and Blue America: Political Subcultures in the U.S. surveys the diversity of current political identities in the United States and traces their origins. Beginning with an examination of the dividing lines between liberal and conservative viewpoints, students consider the historical and political forces that created this central division and how it shapes today's political landscape. The course then reviews the various political subcultures to both the left and the right of the mainstream parties to assess their role in American culture and politics. Prerequisites: DBTU-114, WRIT-101/101G
This course focuses on recent developments in gender scholarship in a U.S. context. It examines how gender has been conceptualized and analyzed, historically and in the present day. Topics considered may include the formation of masculinities and femininities, the intersections between gender, sexual orientation, class, race, age and place, and the significance of gender in personal and professional contexts. Readings are drawn from a variety of disciplines depending on the instructor. Prerequisites: DBTU-114, WRIT-101/101G
This course explores African Americans? struggle for freedom and equality in American society. It examines the social,economic, political and cultural realms of African American life with some exploration of cultural origins in West Africa. Students read in primary sources and use literary evidence in an interdisciplinary effort to understand the past and explore contemporary issues in American society.
This course explores American life, past and present, from the experiences and perspectives of African Americans. We will examine African Americans' struggles for equity in U.S. society and how their encounters with different forms of discrimination and exclusion fit into broader narratives of oppression and civil rights in the U.S. In addition to considering how African American communities have responded to and resisted inequality, we will also assess their representation, inclusion and influence in the social, economic, political and cultural realms of American life. Using scholarly texts, memoirs, films, music and other media, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the impact of African Americans on the dynamics of diversity and equity in U.S. society.
This course explores American life, past and present, from the experiences and perspectives of Asian Americans. We will examine Asian Americans' struggles for equity in U.S. society and how their encounters with different forms of discrimination and exclusion fit into broader narratives of oppression and civil rights in the U.S. In addition to considering how Asian American communities have responded to and resisted inequality, we will also assess their representation, inclusion and influence in the social, economic, political and cultural realms of American life. Using scholarly texts, memoirs, films, music and other media, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the impact of Asian Americans on the dynamics of diversity and equity in U.S. society.
This course explores American life, past and present, from the experiences and perspectives of Jewish Americans. We will examine Jewish Americans' struggles for equity in U.S. society and how their encounters with different forms of discrimination and exclusion fit into broader narratives of oppression and civil rights in the U.S. In addition to considering how Jewish American communities have responded to and resisted inequality, we will also assess their representation, inclusion and influence in the social, economic, political and cultural realms of American life. Using scholarly texts, memoirs, films, music and other media, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the impact of Jewish Americans on the dynamics of diversity and equity in U.S. society.
This course highlights the role of race and ethnic identity in American politics and culture, examining how concepts of race have evolved through time and space, and how the racial identities of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/a and Hispanic Americans, European Americans, Middle Eastern Americans, Native Americans and other groups have interacted to shape the American nation. Students and faculty will examine together how the definition and use of racial categories have influenced the power dynamics of American society and generated social movements advocating for greater racial equality and opportunity. This interdisciplinary course combines history, sociology, politics, culture and economics to illuminate how racial thought has shaped America's past and present.
This course explores American life, past and present, from the experiences and perspectives of Latinx Americans. We will examine Latinx Americans' struggles for equity in U.S. society and how their encounters with different forms of discrimination and exclusion fit into broader narratives of oppression and civil rights in the U.S. In addition to considering how Latinx American communities have responded to and resisted inequality, we will also assess their representation, inclusion and influence in the social, economic, political and cultural realms of American life. Using scholarly texts, memoirs, films, music and other media, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the impact of Latinx Americans on the dynamics of diversity and equity in U.S. society.
This course explores American life, past and present, from the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQIA Americans. We will examine LGBTQIA Americans' struggles for equity in U.S. society and how their encounters with different forms of discrimination and exclusion fit into broader narratives of oppression and civil rights in the U.S. In addition to considering how LGBTQIA American communities have responded to and resisted inequality, we will also assess their representation, inclusion and influence in the social, economic, political and cultural realms of American life. Using scholarly texts, memoirs, films, music and other media, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the impact of LGBTQIA Americans on the dynamics of diversity and equity in U.S. society.
This course explores American life, past and present, from the experiences and perspectives of Muslim Americans. We will examine Muslim Americans' struggles for equity in U.S. society and how their encounters with different forms of discrimination and exclusion fit into broader narratives of oppression and civil rights in the U.S. In addition to considering how Muslim American communities have responded to and resisted inequality, we will also assess their representation, inclusion and influence in the social, economic, political and cultural realms of American life. Using scholarly texts, memoirs, films, music and other media, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the impact of Muslim Americans on the dynamics of diversity and equity in U.S. society.
The diversity found in Philadelphia has long been a topic of study for historians, anthropologists, and linguists. Sociologists, including Max Weber and W.E.B. Du Bois, have been particularly active in analyzing the city’s diverse populations and how they have experienced complex social processes such as industrialization, immigration, and segregation. In this course, we will read important scholarship that examines Philadelphia’s diverse social fabric: from Center City, to Germantown, and elsewhere. How can these studies change how we think about our city? Moreover, what can our analyses of Philadelphia’s diversity teach us about the history of, and future for, social modernity?
This course examines the relationship between urban spaces and the lived experience of Americans, focusing on how racial, gender, and class identities in the U.S. affect the creation, organization, and perception of urban spaces as well as the quality of life of those who inhabit them. Topics may include redlining, segregation, urban renewal, gentrification, deindustrialization, and feminist perspectives of space. The course draws from a variety of materials including history, anthropology, pop culture, and literature to cover both subjective and material experience. This course can be counted towards the Design Humanities certification.
This course explores historical and contemporary issues related to social justice and disparities in public health and medicine in the United States. We will analyze how structural inequities impact the ability of various groups to access and trust healthcare, covering topics such as the history of public health in the U.S., eugenics, ableism, xenophobia and disease, reproductive justice, lack of representation in the health field, and how the intersections of race, class, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and place shape health disparities in the United States. This course can be counted towards the Health Humanities certificatio
Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods in the United States suffer disproportionately from exposure to environmental pollution and toxic waste, lack of access to clean water, and the effects of ecological degradation. These inequalities, based in historical patterns of racism and class inequality, have resulted in both biological and social harm, yet have also produced community resistance, political advocacy, and activism that have reshaped how society views the relationship between humans and the environment. In this class, students will explore how race, class, and gender influence how we experience our environment. Using case studies from rural, urban, and Indigenous reservation communities across the United States, this class will explore how power, inequality, and nature intersect. This course can be counted towards the Environmental Humanities certification.