Prerequisites and Course Descriptions
PREREQUISITES
There are no prerequisites. The seminar is open to Carleton students of any major. Sophomores and junior ENTS and American Studies majors will be given priority.
COURSE OF STUDY: 18 CREDITS
AMST 290-17: Directed Reading
(2 credits, S/CR/NC)
Students will do some preparatory reading on California history, literature and art before the seminar begins and additional reading connected with fieldtrips and guest speakers.
Instructor: Professor Michael Kowalewski
ENGL 288: The Literature of California
(6 credits)
An intensive study of writing and film that explores California both as a place (or rather, a mosaic of places) and as a continuing metaphor – whether of promise or disintegration – for the rest of the country. Authors read will include John Muir, Raymond Chandler, Nathanael West, Robinson Jeffers, John Steinbeck, and Joan Didion. Films will include: Sunset Boulevard, Chinatown, The Grapes of Wrath, Zoot Suit, and Blade Runner.
Instructor: Professor Michael Kowalewski (Literary/Artistic Analysis; Intercultural Domestic Studies; AMST Group 1 Topical; ENG Hist Era 3; ENG T2; ENTS LandPercp)
AMST 287: California Art and Visual Culture (6 credits)
An in-depth exploration of the dynamic relationship between the arts and popular conceptions of California: whether as bountiful utopia, suburban paradise, or multicultural frontier. We will meet with California artists and art historians, and visit museums and galleries.
Art and artists studied will range from Native American art, the Arts and Crafts movement and California Impressionism to the photography of Ansel Adams, urban murals and the imagery of commercial culture (such as lithographs, tourist brochures, and orange-crate labels).
Instructor: Professor Catherine Kowalewski (Literary/Artistic Analysis; AMST Group 1 Topical; ENTS LandPercp)
AMST 289-07: California Field Studies
(4 credits, S/CR/NC)
Students will participate in a number of fieldtrips dealing with California’s history, literature, and environment. Sites visited will include Sutter’s Fort, the Modoc Lava Beds, the California Indian Museum, Teatro Campesino, and Hearst Castle. Students will also complete an Oral Culture Project.
Instructor: Professor Michael Kowalewski
EXCURSIONS
Fieldtrips and excursions will include sites throughout California from Oregon to the Mexican border. There will also be several overnight fieldtrips during the term to Mt. Shasta, Joshua Tree National Park, Catalina Island and Yosemite National Park. Most weekends will be free for students to explore the Bay Area, Monterey/Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and other locations. Students should be in good physical condition, and ready for significant outdoor experiences, including strenuous hikes. They should also be prepared for some lengthy trips in the program vans.