Instructors: Hannah Waits and Adhy Kim
Meeting time: Tuesday, 3:00-5:30pm
Canvas Site
What does it mean to consider the United States as an empire? How do the particular forms and methods of U.S. imperialism inform our understanding of power, ideology, community, and solidarity? How has the U.S. empire taken shape and changed over time, from the nineteenth century to the present day? And how have individuals and groups resisted U.S. empire from inside “the belly of the beast”? In this course, we will analyze various facets of U.S. imperialism, primarily focused on the twentieth century, while paying particular attention to the histories and legacies of dissent and opposition. How has U.S. imperialism produced its “others,” as seen through social movements, decolonization projects, and anti-imperial cultural forms? Engaging with a wide variety of materials including historical documents, fiction, photography, films, poetry, and artwork, we will take an interdisciplinary approach to practicing research methods in the humanities and to studying the rise (and fall?) of U.S. empire.
