Course Themes American Studies

The American Dream  What does the American Dream mean to you?  What are some things that make up the American Dream?

The Rebel in Society  What does it mean to be a rebel?  What does it mean to be a conformist, a nonconformist?  What are some of the things you do when you are a rebel?

Hope and Despair  What does it mean to have hope?  What does it mean to be in despair?  Can you think of any historical events that were both a time of hope and then ultimately a time of despair?

Change and Innovation  What are some examples of Change and Innovation in our country?  What are the consequences of these changes?

Power, Authority, and Leadership  Define this theme  What are some positions of power?

Elitism and Egalitarianism  Elitsim:consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group.  Egalitarianism: belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, social, or economic life.

Social and Gender Roles  The difference in social classes  The difference in gender classes

Idealism/Loss of Innocence  What changes in America have lead to a loss of innocence?  What is loss of innocence?

Assignment  You are going to be assigned to a theme  You have to depict your theme through pictures.  You must draw at least 4 pictures that represent your theme without using words.  You are going to present your poster to the rest of the class explaining why you chose to draw the pictures you did.