AMER237

This course evaluates definitions and expressions of American internationalism from the late nineteenth century to the present day. We will discuss U.S. foreign relations history and changing global politics by analyzing key cultural developments related to events like the Spanish American War, World War II, Vietnam War, 9/11, and the more recent wars in Ukraine and Middle East using a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives. This journey will confront us with contrasting ideas about political purpose and ethical responsibility around America’s place in the world as envisioned by policy makers, activists, intellectuals, and cultural producers. Underlying our conversations will be how categories like race, gender, class, and religion relate to visions of democracy, modernity, and intervention, as well as aesthetic qualities concerning cultural value. Also important will be diverse perspectives on global events, and comparing and contrasting views on, for example, the violence in the Middle East as yielded by U.S. spokespeople and their Arab or Israeli counterparts, or measuring how Vietnamese people remember the Vietnam War in contrast to Americans. Ultimately, we will discuss in detail the foreign contexts in which Americans intervened militarily, culturally, and economically, and the ways the United States changed internally as a result of these engagements (via refugees or immigrants, for example).

Arts, Humanities and Education

Gen Ed 18-Global Awareness (GEGA), Gen Ed 2018 (GE18), MJ-Amer-Amer in the World (AM16), OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES (GINT)