The American West In Popular Culture AMST 100.001 (WEB) Summer 2015 Dr. Brant W. Ellsworth Cell Phone: 267.217.6787 bwe5027@psu.edu Office Phone: 600-3848 “It’s a landscape that has to be seen to be believed. And I say on occasion, it may have to be believed in order to be seen.” N. Scott Momady, Kiowa poet Scope: This course examines the idea of the West in the American imagination as expressed in popular literature, dime novels, art, Wild West shows, films, television, advertisements, and music, emphasizing the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. From Wyatt Earp at the O.K. Corral to Captain Kirk in space, popular culture has taken liberties in their representation of characters and landscapes of the West. Within this visual form, Americans have reflected upon the tensions between civilization and wilderness, the past and progress, realism and nostalgia, and, ultimately, between good and evil. In this course, we will analyze these images within the context of their times and compare them with the actual lived experience in the West. Moreover, we will look at how the image of the region changed over time as Euro-Americans gained more experience with the actual West. We will also examine the Western as a film genre, emphasizing the classic tropes of the genre, gender issues, and the ways in which Western films have served as allegories for current events. Course Objectives: 1. Students will develop a fuller understanding of and appreciation for the evolution of American popular culture. 2. Through the use of primary and secondary sources, students will develop a fuller understanding of and appreciation for the field of American studies and the interpretative and analytical skills employed when examining the past. 3. Students will develop a fuller understanding of the ongoing interplay between social, political, economic, and cultural circumstances that comprise the world in which we live. 4. Students will further develop reading, writing, communication, and critical thinking skills. Course Materials: Textbooks: There are no required texts for students to purchase. The readings and viewings required by this class will be available online via our class Angel page (https://cms.psu.edu ). Be sure to log in with your student username and password. Technology Requirements: pg. 1 ***I maintain the right to alter the syllabus and/or schedule at any point during the semester***