AMST 101: American Pop Culture

Fall 2025

Course Description:

This required American Popular Culture Course will study America through the decades—specifically 1920-2020. The purpose of this course is to see how American culture has changed and evolved over time and to understand the complications (positive and negative) of  culture that have characterized modern (post big business) America throughout the decades.

Looking at major figures, events, phenomena and themes such as power, privilege, difference, creativity, access, recreation, and personal and collective identity will allow us to both broaden and deepen our view of United States history, culture, society, arts, and even economics. As WB Yeats would say, this course will look at the “terrible beauty” of America as it came of age, rose to power, and faced cultural challenges. As Bob Dylan suggests, sometimes the losers and the winners in culture are not always clear in America, and this class will wrestle with that notion. In this course, your challenge is to think critically about the US by learning about its popular history, literature, music, television, film, art, fashion and more—and to consider how you might locate yourself within the American cultural narrative. American Pop Culture class invites you   into a discussion about American cultural values, experiences and ideas, and you are encouraged to participate.

Course Objectives:  Students will:

●   Gain knowledge and a deeper understanding of the ways in which pop culture has had an impact upon American culture beginning from the 1920’s up until present day.

●   Examine the various ways that American pop culture and religion have intersected over   the years through film, music, literature, TV and radio as a means to provide spiritual and inspirational messages of hope as well as to raise the spirits of those within American society. (especially during challenging times)

●   Aim to close the ideological / cultural gap between ourselves and your home or host

country - the United States - by reading, viewing, writing, and listening to history, fiction, poetry, television, video, film, scholarly articles,  interviews  and other pop cultural texts.

●   Develop critical thinking and analytical skills through the reading of various cultural texts. (Critical thinking will be the cornerstone of your Drew education)

●   Strengthen communication skills by participating in in-class discussions and oral presentations.

●   Write clear, original and thoughtful exams and homework papers that reflect your willingness to consider multiple perspectives on a theme, event, text or cultural  phenomenon.

●   Use our classroom space, its assignments, and its discussions to generate global empathy, and bring greater imaginativeness, logic and sense to matters of cultural literacy.

(Globalization makes our world smaller, or more technologically connected, but that does not necessarily mean that it makes it more intimate or intimately aware of what really happens within a nation over time)

●   Utilize the exploration of American culture to develop deeper connections to one’s own native culture, and to critically examine similarities and differences between American cultural experience and geocultural experience.

Course Requirements & Expectations:

I expect you to try your best during every class meeting as well as any time you complete the assigned work for the course. You are expected to:

1.   Check Moodle on a regular basis. Our AMST 101 American Pop Culture Moodle page contains the course syllabus, reading materials (pdf scans), homework assignments and important links to course materials, films, music, YouTube videos etc.

2.   Attend class and be active listeners and participants during our class meetings.

3.   Ask questions. Asking questions is a characteristic of a strong student. Chances are that a student who asks a question is not the only one that needs clarity on the topic. All students benefit from class inquiries.

4.   Respect the other students in the class. Students are free to respectfully express their

thoughts, feelings, and opinions and may do so without being ridiculed or disrespected. Expect that your perspectives may be challenged at times. Discussions will be an important part of our experience. With this in mind, regular and meaningful participation is essential to student success in this course.

Course Readings: Readings for this course will be provided by your instructor and they will be posted on Moodle through web links and pdf scans.

Materials: Please use a charged laptop or notebook to take notes during our classroom discussions. Class readings should be downloaded and readily accessible during class meetings. It is important that you don’t let technology become a distraction during the class. Please refrain from using your cell phone during class.

Assignments/Assessments: In this class, you will be assessed based on your writing, speaking and reflecting capacities.

1.   Weekly Homework/Classwork Questions/Quizzes: 30% - Will cover questions and short writings asked based on reading/viewing/listening

2.   Midterm: 25% - Will cover topics from the first half of the semester

3.   Final Exam: 25% - Will cover topics from the second half of the semester

4.   Presentations: 10% - Will include one individual presentation the first half of the semester and one group presentation near the end of the semester

5.   Participation: 10% - Will include daily class contributions

Late Assignment & Missed Work Policy: Assignments are to be submitted by the beginning of class on the assigned due date, otherwise you will lose 1 point per day. After one week (7 days), a late homework assignment will not be accepted. Submitting the answers of professors and peers and claiming them as your own is considered plagiarism and is not acceptable.

Late essays, speeches, and presentations will be deducted one half letter grade for each class period that they are late. After two weeks (14 days) a late essay, speech, or presentation will not be accepted unless certified medical documentation is provided to both course instructor and the academic director or academic program manager.

Please note that the student bears the responsibility for making up a missed pre-recorded or live speech or presentation. A student should email the professor or visit them during office hours to arrange a makeup date.

Exams should be taken on the day that they are held /assigned. Missing an in person exam may result in a grade reduction or failing mark for the assessment. If a student is ill on the day of the exam, the student should email the professor prior to the examination period or before the exam is posted online to qualify to receive full credit for the assessment.