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Comparative American Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines issues of power and identity formation in the United States through the lenses of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality. Comparative American Studies takes a broad view of "America" that extends beyond U.S. geopolitical boundaries to consider the global reach of American political, economic, and military power as well as U.S. cultural production and histories of social change. Course materials encourage students to engage critically with notions of "American" and "Americanness" and to locate these concepts within historicized transnational and global contexts. While Comparative American Studies draws on the research and insights of a wide range of fields—including American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Studies, Latina/o Studies, Native American Studies, and Gender and Women's Studies—the program is distinctive in that it pursues comparative approaches to analyzing identities, territories, and modes of social change. Major. Students wishing to declare a Comparative American Studies major should select a faculty advisor who is a member of the Comparative American Studies Program Committee or consult with the Program Director. In consultation with the advisor, students should propose a program of study for review by the Program Director. The Comparative American Studies major consists of a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work. No more than 10 credits may normally be transferred from another institution. No more than nine credits of the major can be at the introductory level. For students pursuing double majors, cross-referenced courses may count toward requirements in both Comparative American Studies and the department or program of origin. The Comparative American Studies major consists of the following required courses: Required Program Courses (14-15 credit hours): 1. CAST 100 Introduction to Comparative American Studies, three credits. 2. CAST 300 Situated Research, three credits, recommended to be taken by the end of junior year. 3. CAST 301 Situated Research Practicum, one or two credits, to be taken the same semester as CAST 300. 4. CAST 400 Capstone Seminar, four credits. 5. One other Comparative American Studies program course, three credits. This course may count either for the Concentration Area requirement or serve as an elective (see below). Concentration Area Requirement (Minimum of 12 credit hours): Comparative American Studies majors are required to complete at least 12 credits within one of three concentrations in order to develop a coherent area of specialization within the CAST major. The Concentration Areas are: a. Identity and Diversity; b. Globalization, Transnationalism, and Nation; c. Histories and Practices of Social Change. Within the concentration, each student will develop an individual area of focus in consultation with a faculty advisor. To demonstrate an interdisciplinary comparative perspective, students must select courses from at least two different departments or programs for their concentration. Besides Comparative American Studies program courses, courses listed on the Program's web site (www.oberlin.edu/CAS) under the rubric "Comparative American Studies Courses in Various Disciplines" may count toward the Concentration Area Requirement. Electives. Students may fulfill the remaining credit hours to complete the major by taking elective courses in either program course offerings or approved cross-listed or cross-referenced courses. Students may petition to receive credit towards their program of study for a course not currently listed by submitting the Request Form and a class syllabus to the Comparative American Studies Program Director. Minor. Students wishing to minor in Comparative American Studies must have their proposals approved by the Program Director. The Comparative American Studies minor consists of CAST 100 and 12 credits in an area of concentration (a total of 15 credits). At least one of the courses in the Concentration Area must be a program course. Only six credits at the introductory level are accepted for the minor. No more than five credits may be transferred from another institution toward the minor. Honors. Comparative American Studies majors may pursue in-depth Honors research in their senior year under the supervision of a faculty advisor. An Honors Project normally consists of a written thesis based on original research or creative work. The thesis is submitted in the spring semester of the senior year and followed by a public presentation. Students who qualify for Honors and are interested in the program should consult with the Program Director by the beginning of the second semester in their junior year. Honors proposals are due on or about April 15. Winter Term. When on duty, faculty members with appointments in Comparative American Studies sponsor Winter Term projects. Off-Campus Programs for Credit. Students are encouraged to broaden their educational experience by taking advantage of off-campus programs, preferably sometime during their junior year. A maximum of ten credit hours of such work may be applied toward the major (five for the minor). Comparative American Studies Web Site. For more information on the Comparative American Studies Program — including a list of Program Committee members, updates on the Program's course offerings, and a list of cross-referenced courses in other departments and programs — please visit our web site at www.oberlin.edu/CAS.
FYSP 146. HIV/AIDS in America 3 hours 1.5HU, 1.5SS, CD, WRi First Semester. For description, please see "First-Year Seminar Program" in this catalog. Program Courses 100. Introduction to Comparative American Studies 3 hours 1.5HU, 1.5SS, CD, WR First and Second Semester. The course will introduce students to the complexity of American social and cultural formations, with particular emphases on sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and gender, and to various methodologies of comparative analysis. Enrollment Limit: 25. Ms. Raimondo, Ms. Pérez 201. Latinas/os in Comparative Perspective 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR Second Semester. This course analyzes the varied experiences of Latinas/os in the United States. The class will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining the historical roots of Latina/o subgroups (Chicana/o, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and Central Americans) and exploring various thematic issues relevant to Latina/o communities. Using ethnography, literature, film, and history, the course will explore questions of immigration/transnationalism; culture and political economy; racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities among Latinas/os; the struggle for place in American cities; as well as the intersections of gender, work, and family. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Pérez 211. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Identities 3 hours 1.5HU, 1.5SS, CD, WR Second Semester. This course examines the production of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identities in the United States as they intersect with important social markers such as race, class, gender, and nation. Situating specific case studies in historical, social, and comparative context, we explore issues such as the intersection of racial and sexual sciences, processes of community formation, the politics of embodiment, social justice movements, and queer cultural productions. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Raimondo 300. Situated Research 3 hours 3SS, CD, WRi First Semester. This field-based methods course integrates classroom-based discussion of methodologies and theory with field research drawn from weekly fieldwork in an internship or placement of the student's choice. Students will present, discuss, and engage with methodological, theoretical, and ethical questions arising from field research and work with the instructor in writing a work-based ethnography. Must be taken with CAST 301. Enrollment Limit: 12. Ms. Pérez 301. Situated Research Practicum 1-2 hours 1-2SS First Semester. Students will choose a field site and use this work as the basis of weekly written assignments in the form of field journals. Must be taken with CAST 300. Ms. Pérez 311. Militarization of American Daily Life 4 hours 4SS, CD, WR First Semester. How has the historic and contemporary reality of war and war preparation shaped daily life in the United States? And what have been the repercussions of militarization beyond U.S. geopolitical boundaries both throughout the Americas and globally? This course takes a broad view of "American" daily life to consider how war, war preparation, and the underlying assumption that war is both a natural fact of life and part of human nature shape the experiences of people throughout the Americas, as well as the globalizing reach of American military power throughout the 20th century. Enrollment Limit: 20. Ms. Pérez 321. Transnational Sexualities: National Borders, Global Desires 4 hours 2HU, 2SS, CD, WR Second Semester. How does the globalization of sexuality shape the study of sex in national contexts? This interdisciplinary course uses the United States as a starting point to consider sexual identities and practices in a transnational perspective, addressing topics such as reproduction, migration, AIDS, sex work, tourism, and militarization. We will examine the production of gendered, raced, and classed bodies and explore the significance of transnational analysis of sexuality to social justice work. Enrollment Limit: 20. Ms. Raimondo 401. Capstone Seminar: Queer Geographies 4 hours 2HU, 2SS, CD, WR First Semester. Geography plays a critical role in the expression of sexual identities, practices, and communities. This seminar examines space and social justice by exploring geographies such as closets, communities, and cruising grounds. Intersections of sexuality, race, class, and gender serve as the lens to analyze queer spatial imaginaries and the material organization of sexual lives. Intensive discussion of assigned readings will prepare students to complete a substantial research paper. Consent of the instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12. Ms. Raimondo 402. Capstone Seminar: Rethinking Barrios and Ghettoes 4 hours 4SS, CD, WRi Second Semester. Academics, policy makers, and social reformers have long concerned themselves with understanding the urban poor. This course takes a critical look at the structural forces creating urban spaces popularly regarded as "barrios" and "ghettoes." Course readings will draw from anthropology, sociology, literature, and history to examine various approaches to and representations of marginalized urban communities in the past and present. Consent of the instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12. Ms. Pérez 500, 501. Honors 3-4 hours 3-4HU Students wishing to do Honors in Comparative American Studies in their senior year should consult with their major advisor and the program director. Students should submit a proposal by April 15th of their junior year. Consent of Program Director required. 995. Private Reading 1-3 hours 1-3HU Independent study of a subject beyond the range of catalog course offerings. Consent of instructor required. Ms. Pérez, Ms. Raimondo, and other members of the Comparative American Studies Program Committee will sponsor private readings.
In addition to program courses, students majoring or minoring in Comparative American Studies may count certain courses in other departments and programs toward their Concentration Area Requirement. A list of courses that qualify is posted on the program's web site (www.oberlin.edu/CAS) under the rubric "Comparative American Studies Courses in Various Disciplines." |
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