AM 103W: Intro: Myth and Symbol in America

MWF, 10:10-11:05 | TLC 307 | Gregory M. Pfitzer

This course considers the ways in which American have attempted to make sense of centuries of national experience through myths and symbols that represent allegorically the fundamental belief systems of the culture.  It focuses on the "life cycle" of national fables:  their birth from the womb of cultural necessity; their maturity and adaptation in the face of changing cultural conditions; and their decline and death as they outlive their usefulness.  Specific typologies studied include frontiersmen and women, gangsters, scientists, aviators, and more.  The course also treats the concepts and interpretations of the "myth and symbol" school, especially "classic" works by American Studies scholars on the metaphoric significance of the virgin landscape, the new Adam, and the machine in the garden.

SYLLABUS (coming in the Fall)