RFLA 300 02 - America’s Gifts (CRN 10343)

This course explores the uniquely American circumstances that gave rise to the development of jazz, baseball and National Parks. All of these icons of Americana exhibit many of the dynamic (and often conflicting) forces at work in American history. For example, the preservation of land in National Parks ran directly counter to the essentially materialistic and exploitative approach to nature that governed 19th century America. Jazz represents the collision of European and African musical forms, which produced an unprecedented opportunity for exploration and innovation. And (sadly), baseball is at odds with a contemporary American culture that is increasingly violent, impatient and overbearing. Underlying themes of the course include the roles of race, class, gender and capitalism, as well as the relationship between the individual and the group.