Course Infomation

Cultural Politics and the 2012 Election, Fall 2012

Day(s): M, 3:10p-6:50p

Location: 659

Course ID: JOUR-GA 1182.008

Instructor(s): Leslie Savan

Syllabus: Download PDF

Description

This fall's presidential election promises to be very weird and very important--and a field day for the cultural reporter.  This course will address cultural politics both historically and in the present, i.e. as they play out, in real time, in the fall. Are cultural issues a "distraction" from "real" politics--or are they important expressions of our deepest values? This class will look at how issues such as sex, race, abortion, religion, gay marriage, family values, guns, taxes, crime, and education--as well as concepts such as "elitism" and "freedom"--manifest themselves; we will look, too, at how the press covers such topics. The course will examine why and how Americans are increasingly divided into antagonistic "tribes," and will study contemporary populist critiques of mainstream politics from the left (i.e. Occupy Wall Street) and the right (i.e. the Tea Party). This class's writing assignments will include both reporting and analytic pieces. CRC Priority, others with instructor approval.