HIST 383 - Stereotypes and Cultural Ideals in America

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as AFRS 383) This course explores the origins and implications of specific stereotypes, aspirational images, and cultural ideals in America, from the time of slavery through the twenty-first century. We analyze how stereotypes and aspirational images develop understandings of race, gender, class and sexuality and compare images to see how they create boundaries between social categories as well as influence personal and cultural identities. We focus on popular culture using newspapers, magazines, literature, art, movies, television, and material objects to investigate the formation of these images and to track the persistence of the images. For example, we track the development of the “Mammy” stereotype from its beginnings in slavery through to the recent controversy over “Aunt Jamima.” We interrogate the purpose and function of aspirational images and stereotypes as we look at their usage in Reconstruction, Jim Crow, women’s rights movements, the Roaring Twenties, post WWII prosperity, and the conservative ascendance among other time periods. Amanda Brennan.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS