20 courses with the subject AMS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
This course explores what is perhaps the most widely recognized genre in American culture-The Western-through a consideration of popular fiction, television, movies, and art. Among the texts we will study: novels by Zane Grey and Owen Wister, the films of John Ford and Clint Eastwood, the art of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. We will trace the development of the genre from its classic through its revisionist phases, paying particular attention to the way in which the Western has both shaped and reflected certain ideas about American identity, gender roles, and race relations. Objectives: A) Identify and describe the key themes in the Western genre; B) Compare and contrast the variety of traditions within the genre; C) Interpret a variety of texts as expressions of the genre. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion. Method of Evaluation: Reading quizzes and in-class writing; weekly film reviews; three 5-6 page essays. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.
AMS 1959 Co-requisite with MUS 1959 for a total of 6.0 credits. A lecture and experiential course, introducing students to major turning points and influences/ers in Broadway history - predominantly musicals - productions and cultural impact. Additionally, students will encounter the structural elements necessary in creation a musical; includes viewing and listening to musicals, and production review responses/critiques. Attendance outside of traditional course time required to engage in experiential component of attending live shows/local field trips, and Guest Artist workshops. Objectives: A) Explore the history and progression of American Musical Theatre; B) Recognize production elements within Musical Theatre (Music, Lyrics, Book, Score, Direction, Dance, Concepts, and Design); C) Interact with professionals in the field via workshops (Zoom and/or in Person); D) Analyze significant cultural impacts of Broadway productions, and how the culture has, in turn, influenced Broadway (i.e. Hamilton’s impact on the culture; Disney’s impact on Broadway); E) Identify leading 20th and 21st century Western theatre lyricists/composers with their works; F) Reflect on the experience of attending live theatre and viewing professionally filmed-theatre events; G) Explore the diversity of theatre and its intersection with community, culture and society; H) Support experience of event(s) in relationship to individual perspective with evidence and reasoning in writing and in creative presentation. Method of Instruction: Lecture, Discussion, Experience, and Workshop. Method of Evaluation: 20% - Weekly written and listening quizzes on material, 20% - 4 Production response papers, 20% - Extensive Research Project/Presentation, 30% - Attendance and Participation (attending in person; discussion board post, etc.), and 10% - Final Exam. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement, will apply once for both field codes.
Crosslisted/Same As: HIS 2210 Crosslisted/Same As (2): PSC 2210 Designed to be offered in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this course explores the social, political, and cultural history of the American Revolution during the period 1754-1789. In addition to covering the major events and participants-both the usual and the unusual suspects-we will focus on the conflicting, often divisive views that characterized this period, conflict and division that remain defining features of the American landscape two and a half centuries later. Objectives: A) Explain the political, social, economic, and intellectual causes of the American Revolution and evaluate their relative significance; B) Describe the major military, diplomatic, and political developments of the period; C) Analyze the ways in which different populations–Patriots, Loyalists, enslaved Africans, Native nations, women–experienced the Revolution; D) Evaluate selected primary sources; E) Compare and contrast different interpretations of the significance and meaning of the American Revolution. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion WEP
This course introduces students to the study of American popular culture. We will begin with the emergence of distinct “popular” and “elite” cultural practices in the 19th century and go on to explore several topics in American popular culture: Coney Island and other urban amusements in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, popular movies of the Depression era, the construction of gender roles in the mass media after World War II, the evolution of the family sitcom (aka “situation comedy”) from the 1950s through the 1990s, and the representation of racial identities in movies, music, and television since the 1970s. Objectives: A) Describe the context in which popular culture is defined and distinguished from other forms of culture; B) Describe the role of race, class and gender in shaping the context in A, above; C) Evaluate and compare individual examples of popular culture; D) Demonstrate effective communication about the above topics. Method of Instruction: Lecture and discussion. Method of Evaluation: Weekly reflection essays, papers on assigned texts. Meets *WEP Distribution Requirement.
AMS 2950 Students will study the cultural and natural history of the National Parks of the American Southwest. After an initial period of on-campus study will then hit the road and explore a selection of the following national parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, and Grand Canyon. Objectives: A) Identify and describe the major issues relating to the establishment and maintenance of the National Parks, with a focus on the Southwest; B) Identify and describe the major natural features of the region; C) Identify and describe the geological processes that formed the distinctive features of the region; D) Evaluate the distinctive aesthetic and cultural features associated with the landscapes of the region. Method of Instruction: Discussion of assigned readings and travel experiences. Method of Evaluation: Grade will be based on student contributions to the discussion of assigned materials, journals, and a final project and presentation. TRAVEL COURSE, FEES ASSOCIATED.
Crosslisted/Same As: AMS 3420
Source: Elmira College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
