UCC/UGC/YCC
Proposal for New Course
1. Effective BEGINNING of what term and year?:
Fall 2012
See effective dates calendar.
Comparative Cultural
3. Academic Unit: Studies
2. College: Arts and Letters
4. Course subject and number:
HUM 344
5. Units: 3
6. Long course title: American Counter Cultures Since World War II
(max 100 characters including spaces)
7. Short course title: Amer Counter Cultures Snc WWII
(max. 30 characters including spaces)
8. Catalog course description (max. 60 words, excluding requisites):
This course studies the use of film, television and literature by minority, oppressed and
marginalized groups in America to critique mainstream society since the Second World War.
9. Grading option:
Letter grade
Pass/Fail
Both
10a. UGC approval date*:
10. Co-convened with:
(For example: ESE 450 and ESE 550)
*Must be approved by UGC before UCC submission, and both course syllabi must be presented
11. Cross-listed with:
(For example: ES 450 and DIS 450)
Please submit a single cross-listed syllabus that will be used for all cross-listed courses.
12. May course be repeated for additional units?
12a. If yes, maximum units allowed?
12b. If yes, may course be repeated for additional units in the same term?
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Yes
No
Yes
No
1
13. Prerequisites:
14. Co requisites:
15. Is this course in any plan (major, minor or certificate) or sub plan (emphasis or concentration)?
Yes
No
If yes, describe the impact and attach written responses from the affected academic units prior
to college curricular submission.
Cinema Studies Minor. A plan change is being submitted concurrently.
16. Is there a related plan or sub plan proposal being submitted?
If no, explain.
Yes
No
17. Does this course include combined lecture and lab components?
Yes
If yes, note the units specific to each component in the course description above.
No
18. Does this course duplicate content of existing courses?
Yes
No
If yes, list the courses with duplicate material. If the duplication is greater than 20%,
explain why NAU should establish this course.
19. Names of the current faculty qualified to teach this course:
Devan Bissonette, Jayme
Davis, Gioia Woods
20. Justification for new course.
HUM 344 will add an important and needed course to the Cinema Studies minor catalog. It
also fills a gap in the current HUM curriculum as it relates to American cultural studies since
WWII, taking an inclusive look at the popular arts, specifically the growing postwar emphasis
on visual culture, to better understand the role of recent popular arts in shaping
contemporary American culture. The course, both through its varied use of primary sources
(included literature, film and television), historical background and various theories of media
and approaches to the study of culture embraces CCS's focus on comparative methods and
content. Designed as an online-only course, HUM 344 fulfills CCS's need for a greater
diversity of online courses with interdisciplinary methods. Also, HUM 344's emphasis on
visual culture (including both film and television) mean it complements the department's
growing catalog of courses with an emphasis on this rapidly growing field.
Answer 21-22 for UCC/YCC only:
21. Is this course being proposed for Liberal Studies designation?
Yes
If yes, forward this form along with the appropriate supporting documentation to the
Liberal Studies Committee.
Revised 06/22/2011
No
2
22. Is this course being proposed for Diversity designation?
Yes
If yes, forward this form along with the appropriate supporting documentation to the
Diversity Committee
Scott Galland
Reviewed by Curriculum Process Associate
No
12/7/2011
Date
Approvals:
Department Chair/ Unit Head (if appropriate)
Date
Chair of college curriculum committee
Date
Dean of college
Date
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3
For Committee use only:
UCG/UGC/YCC Approval
Approved as submitted:
Revised 06/22/2011
Date
Yes
No
Approved as modified: Yes
No
4
College of Arts and Letters
Department of Humanities
HUM 344
Credits
Instructor
Office
Office Hours
Prerequisites
American Counter Cultures since World War II
Fall 2012
3 hrs
Devan Bissonette
N/A
Virtual
Junior Standing
Catalog Description:
This course studies the use of film, television and literature by minority, oppressed and
marginalized groups in America to critique mainstream society since the Second World War.
Description:
While many historical period start and end arbitrarily, 1945 is an exception, fundamentally
reshaping American culture and international relations. It took the start of the Nuclear Age to end
the Second World War, birthing a new type of war, the US-Soviet Cold War, in the process. As
Americans came to grips with this new type of warfare, television found its way into the
American living room and film audiences continued to grow. Into this growing age of mediated
entertainment Americans came to grips with the potential for nuclear Armageddon, civil rights
controversies, black power, the Chicano movement, feminism, gay rights, sex and violence in
American culture, etc. While popular films, TV shows and books often ignored these concerns,
more and more, these media, whether for profit or politics, began to question the "American
experience" louder than ever before.
Though historians have frequently mulled over the concerns of Americans in the postwar era,
there has been far less attention played to the actual voices that demanded social change and the
mediums they used to present their arguments. As television found its way into the American
living room, information became increasing visual and knowledge fragmented by networks (and
later cable) competing for attention. The age of the blockbuster motion picture came and went
(and came back again). Aside from these "official" sources, minorities used both mainstream and
independent films to challenge a dominant culture that pushed their concerns to the margins.
Official censorship declined by the end of the 1960s in favor of a voluntary production code that
gave filmmakers new freedom to explore the previously taboo. Television too benefited from this
more permissive cultural environment to explore social issues with a new depth over the next
several decades. Sexuality, violence and homosexuality were just a few of the issues that
Americans "saw" for the first time thanks to the growing presence of visual media in American
lives. Literature too, though losing some of its influence over culture, continued to impact
American values.
Over the course of the semester, we will look at various films, television shows and literature
produced since WWII addressed issued related to minority and oppressed groups (including but
not limited to ethnic and racial minorities, women, homosexuals and youths). Using an
interdisciplinary framework that draws ideas from across the humanities, including history,
visual culture, film theory, gender studies and theories on racial and ethnic difference, we will
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5
study how each primary source made the case for social change and its impact on American
culture.
---The mission of the Liberal Studies Program (LSP) at Northern Arizona University is to prepare
students to live responsible, productive, and creative lives as citizens of a dramatically changing
world. To accomplish the mission of Liberal Studies, Northern Arizona University provides a
program that challenges students to gain a deeper understanding of the natural environment and
the world’s peoples, to explore the traditions and legacies that have created the dynamics and
tensions that shape the world, to examine their potential contributions to society, and thus to
better determine their own places in that world. Through the program students acquire a broad
range of knowledge and develop essential skills for professional success and life beyond
graduation. This class supports the mission of the LSP by studying the interrelated social
movements of postwar America that brought minority concerns to the public's attention through
popular culture, creating and diffusing tensions that fundamentally reshaped American culture in
the years since 1945.
This course fits within the Aesthetic and Humanistic Inquiry Distribution Block through the
course's exploration of cultural change in the postwar age. Its focus on the use of cultural texts to
creatively express social issues is fundamentally important to grasping the role of the humanities
in shaping American culture since 1945 through specific primary source analysis of sources
produced in this era.
Liberal Studies Essential Skills
This course emphasizes a number of essential skills to help students no matter their major
interests. Critical thinking is encouraged through our weekly discussions, source analyses and
written work. Effective writing is also emphasized through detailed feedback and assignments
that encourage students to push the limits of traditional thinking in arguing complex points.
Student Learning Outcomes
With any humanities-centered curriculum, the first goal of the class is to hone your criticalthinking skills, especially as it relates to human activities and behavior that have shape, are
shaping, and will shape the world in which we life. To this end, one hope of the course is that
you will learn to look at familiar subjects in different ways to see them in a new light and take
new meaning from them. To this end, by the conclusion of the term you will be able to:
-Identify key themes in American cultural productions since WWII.
-Recognize and link historical contexts with cultural change in America.
-Discuss the influence of the Cold War on American culture.
-Understand the role of media in presenting the concerns of minority/oppressed groups to
mainstream culture.
-Explain the influence of several cultural texts on the making of contemporary US.
Texts: Moss, George Donelson. Moving On: The American People Since 1945. 4th ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2009.
Mintz, Steven and Roberts, Randy, eds. Hollywood’s America: Twentieth-Century
America Through Film. Somerset, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Steven J. Ross, Movies and American Society (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2002)
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6
Suggested Readings:
Ronald L. Davis, Celluloid Mirrors: Hollywood and American Society since 1945
(London: Wadsworth, 1996)
Archie Loss, Pop Dreams: Music, Movies, and the Media in the American 1960s
(London: Wadsworth, 1998)
James Stuart Olson, Equality Deferred: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in America,
Since 1945 (London: Wadsworth, 2002)
Mary Ann Watson, Defining Visions: Television and the American Experience in the 20th
Century (New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008)
Katy Siegel, Since '45: America and the Making of Contemporary Art (New York:
Reaktion Books, 2011)
Kathryn Jay, More Than Just A Game: Sports in American Life Since 1945 (New York:
Columbia University Press, 2004)
Phillip Yannella, American Literature in Context After 1945 (New York: Wiley
Blackwell, 2010)
Leonard Quart and Albert Auster, American Film and Society Since 1945 (New York:
Praeger, 2011).
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (Assignment Descriptions)
Assignments
Discussion Prompt Replies
Participation
Source Explorations
Final Project Presentation
Final Project
Totals
Points
60 points
120 points
50 points each, 100 total
40 points
80 points
400 points
Percent of Total Score
15%
30%
25%
10%
20%
100%
a. Discussions and Participation:
-Discussion Prompt Replies (15%): Each week we will have one or two discussions
about the week’s materials. They will be split up into a General and Specific Topic
Board. Each board has a question for you answer. You are required to respond to both
the General and Specific Topic Board questions posted this week. Your response to
each topic question should be at least 200 words and cite the textbook/supplementary
readings at least once. While I do not expect full citations, make sure you note the
source of any outside evidence (by referencing a page number or website). Above all,
make sure you answer all parts of the question. I am looking to see 1) a reflection in
the post that you’ve done and understand the readings and 2) that you can apply that
knowledge to a specific issue related to the course (see the rubric here). The response
to the General Topic Board should be posted no later than 11:59PM, Local Time of
Day 3. The response to the Specific Topic Board should be posted no later than
11:59PM, Local Time of Day 5. Once the week is over, no credit will be given for
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7
late posts. Quote and cite any sources, as any evidence of plagiarism will result in a 0.
-Participation (30%): Besides your posts to the Topic board or boards you are
required to make at least four replies to the posts of your classmates made to the
General and Specific Topic Board each week. You must make at least one comment
to each the General Topic Board and Specific Topic Board. Two replies should be at
least 150 words. Your comments should also be spread out over at least two days
during this week to earn full credit. Responses might entail you agreeing with a peer
and adding more detail to that post, adding a question related to their comment, using
the comment to move discussion in a new direction based on the ideas presented by
your peer, and so on. These are merely guidelines—grades will be based on quality of
substantive comments and shorter reactions (see the rubric here). The more you offer,
the easier it will be to earn full credit each week. While I do not expect full citations,
make sure you note the source of any outside evidence (by referencing a page number
or website). Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a 0 for the week. All posts must
be made by 11:59PM, Local Time of Day 7. Once the week is over, no credit will be
given for late posts.
b. Papers, Projects and Presentations:
-Source Explorations (12.5% each): These short assignments (500-800 words) will
address questions related to your reading and discussion board posts. You also have
the option, in consultation with me, of choosing your own topic. Each paper should
investigate the question posed, using course materials and outside evidence to argue
their point. In short, it is an evidence-based reaction to the question, meaning they
will involve some outside research and should be cited properly. Students are
required to hand in two source explorations during the semester. These papers will
give me a chance to critique your writing and enhance your critical thinking skills,
especially as they relate to the popular arts. Papers should be uploaded through the
course website. Any instance of plagiarism will result in a 0 for the assignment. See
the rubric here for grading details.
-Final Project (20%): The final project will ask you engage in a comparative study of
contemporary cultural texts. The goal of the paper is to better understand how
different cultural texts (two books on the same subject, a book and film, etc) shape
our understandings of how contemporary minority, oppressed and marginalized
groups (race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, etc) in America critique mainstream
society through cultural texts. At minimum, the paper should include five sources, not
including course readings. At least one source should be a book. Others may be from
scholarly journals (use the library website or ask me if you have trouble identifying
sources) and websites, but no more than two websites (reviews might be a good web
source). The paper should be at least 1200 words and uploaded to the course website.
The paper is due by 11:59PM EST, Day 7 of the final week of the course (right before
finals week). Any instance of plagiarism will result in a 0 for the assignment. See the
rubric here for grading details.
-Final Project Presentation (10%): The presentation is basically a shortened, more
visual version of your final project. Its focus is on how your chosen individual
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8
addresses at least one of the critical frameworks you speak about in the paper (gender
in American Psycho could be a topic). It should be between 4 and 7 minutes. The
presentation is due by 11:59PM EST, Day 1 of Week 15. See the rubric here.
c. Exams and Quizzes:
-None.
Grade Scale
A
B
C
D
F
90%+
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
59-----
360-400
320-359
280-319
240-279
239-----
Grading rubric for presentations
Presentation
Grading
Breakdown
Quality and
Strength of
Presentation
(Visual,
Audio, Text)
Evidence
Total
Points/
Percent
40%
Content and
Narrative
Organization
40%
Creativity
16
Points
16
Points
20%
8 Points
Total
Editing
Notations:
AWKAwkward
WC-Word
Revised 06/22/2011
100%
Key Components of Grading Criteria Include
(bold phrases indicate unmet expectations):
Points
Earned
> Effectiveness of visuals in communicating key points
> Effectiveness of audio in communicating key points
> Effectiveness of text/speaker notes in communicating
key points
> Ability of these components to work together in
forwarding ideas
> Overall persuasiveness of argument
> Presentation's ability to engage with its audience
>Author's ability to reflect subject knowledge through
presentation
> Ability of presentation to summarize paper contents
> Logic of content chosen for presentation
> Adherence of paper to assignment goals
> Integration of course materials/concepts into assignment
> Strength of evidence and its capability to support thesis
> Uniqueness of presentation
> Style of presentation
> Approach to assignment goals as expressed in
presentation
> Strength of research question/thesis
Overall Comments:
0
40
Points
9
Choice
SP-Spelling
Error
?-Unclear
FragSentence
Fragment
Wdy-Too
Wordy
Grading rubric for all written work (including discussion prompts)
Paper
Total
Key Components of Grading Criteria Include
Grading
Points/
(bold phrases indicate unmet expectations):
Breakdown
Percent
Content and
> Adherence of paper to assignment goals
50%
Evidence
> Integration of course materials/concepts into
assignment
Points
> Good mix of evidence (less than 33%) and original
analysis
> Evidence/explanations sufficient to address assignment
goals
> Quality and credibility of sources (varies by
assignment)
> Capability of evidence/sources to support thesis
statement
Critical
> Quality and originality of paper argument (varies)
20%
Thinking
> Effectiveness of topic sentences to start each paragraph
> Logical progression of paper's argument
Points
> Effectiveness of the paper’s style in communicating
key points
> Innovative use of evidence to support key arguments
> Persuasiveness of overall argument
Grammar,
> Presence of introduction, body paragraphs, and
20%
Organization,
conclusion
Coherency
> Clarity of thesis
Points
and Editing
> Writer’s knowledge and understanding of course
concepts
> Ability of the paper to convey writer’s thoughts to the
reader
> Consistent tenses, proper punctuation and paragraph
formatting
> Conceptual clarity (including definitions) of key
concepts
> Quality of grammar, writing and word choice
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Points
Earned
10
Formatting
and Citing
10%
Points
Total
100%
> Use of proper citation format and rules
> Presence of accurate in-paper citations and quotations
> Properly italicized or quoted titles (depending on
source type)
> Paper formatted according to relevant guidelines
> Proper organization/formatting of the
References/Works Cited
> Adherence of paper to required length/word count
> Usage of required number of (relevant)
citations/sources
Overall Comments:
Points
0
Contact Information:
You can reach me by phone 585-209-0444 or over email at devan.bissonette@nau.edu
Assignments
Week 1-Introduction
Week 2-4 The Early Cold War (1945-1957)
Week 2 (Film): Them! (NF)
Reading: Mintz and Roberts, Ch. 17; Moss, Ch2. 1-2
Alternatives: Salt of the Earth (NF); Invaders From Mars (NF); High Noon (NF); The Lawless
(NF)
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11
Week 3-(Literature): J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye
Reading: Moss, Chs. 3-4
Alternatives: Sloan Wilson, Man in the Grey Flannel Suit; Jack Kerouac, On The Road; Ray
Bradbury, Farenheit 451
Week 4-(Television): I Love Lucy (Hulu), Dragnet (Hulu)
Reading: Moss, Chs. 5-6
Alternatives: Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Hulu); Superman (Hulu); Donna Reed Show (Hulu);
Father Knows Best (Hulu)
Weeks 5-8 The Long 1960s (1957-1974)
Week 5-(Film): The Intruder (NF, archive.org)
Reading: Mintz and Roberts, Ch. 24
Alternatives:
Week 6-(Television): The Twilight Zone (Hulu), Star Trek (Hulu)
Reading: Moss, Ch. 7
Alternatives: Sesame Street (Hulu)
*First Paper Due
Week 7-(Literature): Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
Reading: Moss, Ch.8
Alternatives: James Meredith, The Fire Next Time; Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Week 8-(Film): The Spook Who Sat By The Door
Reading: Mintz and Roberts, Ch. 22; Moss, Ch. 9
Alternatives: Dirty Harry (NF); Vigilante Force (NF); Five on the Black Hand Side (NF); In The
Heat of the Night (AZ); A Clockwork Orange (NF)
Weeks 9-11 Disco Days and the Wall's Fall (1974-1990)
Week 9-(Literature): Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale
Reading: Moss, Chs. 10-11
Alternatives: Alan Moore, Watchman; John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire; Toni Morrison,
Beloved; Carl Sagan, Contact; Tom Clancy, Red Storm Rising
Week 10-(Television): Mary Tyler Moore Show (Hulu), Diff'rent Strokes (Hulu)
Reading: Moss, Chs. 12-13
Alternatives: Married With Children (Hulu), 21 Jump Street (Hulu), Sanford and Son (Hulu); All
in the Family (Hulu)
Week 11-(Film): Robocop (NF)
Reading: Mintz and Roberts, Ch. 23, Moss, Ch. 14
Alternatives: Red Dawn; 10 to Midnight (NF); Rocky (NF)
Weeks 12-14 American Thought Since the end of the Cold War (1990+)
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Week 12-(Literature): Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Reading: Moss, Ch. 15
Alternatives: Lois Lowry, The Giver; Lois Sachar, Holes; David Guterson, Snow Falling on
Cedars; Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried
*Second Paper Due
Week 13-(Film): Precious (NF)
Reading: Mintz and Roberts, Ch. 31, Moss, Ch. 16
Alternatives: The Matrix (AZ); Fight Club (AZ); White Men Can't Jump (AZ)
Week 14-(Television): Modern Family (Hulu)
Reading: Moss, Chs. 17-18
Alternatives: Ugly Betty (Hulu); Picket Fences (Hulu); Hill Street Blues (Hulu); Twin Peaks
(NF)
Week 15-Presentations
*Final Paper Due
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