131-018 Searching for the American Dream

Students who have completed 131-200 or 131-300 are not eligible to enrol in this subject. Semester 2 subject with fieldwork to be held in June/July. Special entry conditions apply. A quota of 34 students applies. Itinerary and travel arrangements are available from the subject coordinators.

50 points of first year from any area of study within the Faculty of Arts.

In this subject we trace the American Dream from its origins in Puritan Boston, to the present day. We spend time in Boston, New York, and Washington, with day trips to Salem and Lowell. In each city we visit museums, historic sites, and a range of current day organisations. For example, in Boston we speak with the Public Defender about the American legal system, and we explore the role sport plays in American culture by seeing a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. In New York we take walking tours of Harlem and the Lower East Side, and we visit a range of community organisations. In Washington, we meet with several political players as well as touring the monuments and visiting Arlington Cemetery. On return to Australia, students are required to write an essay based on one of the visits.

• be familiar with the archives and other primary material available for research in American History, and to use some of that material to produce an essay;

• demonstrate research skills through competent use of the library and other information sources;

• show critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;

• show critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument.

Written work totalling 8000 words comprising a journal exercise of 4000 words 25% (written throughout the trip), a research essay of 4000 words 50% (due at the end of semester 2) and class participation 25%.

A subject reader will be available.