Bring the Funk in Spring 2010

American Studies is delighted to cross-list a new course from a new member of the KU faculty, Anthony Bolden's Theory and Practice of Funk (AMS 696/AAAS 523/AAAS 723). Meeting Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-4:15, this course can be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit. Here's how Prof. Bolden describes the course:

A multi-disciplinary course that examines the conceptual foundations of the theory and practice of funk. Employing a wide array of materials, including dance criticism, musicology, literature, and interviews, we will examine the aesthetic characteristics, philosophical principles, and performance practices associated with funk. Although most people tend to conceptualize funk in terms of the dance bands of James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton, and others, the earliest references to funk in English came from blues dancers and musicians near the turn of the twentieth century, and there is evidence to suggest that funk is a concept that survived the Middle Passage. As such, funk (or the funk impulse) is a fundamental element of virtually all black musical genres; it predates such terms as hot, swing, and soul, which seem to be synonyms of funk. How do we, then, account for the privileged space that funk occupies in the history of black vernacular performance? How do we document its presence and examine its cultural impact? Important clues can be found in the area of dance. And since the funk impulse is reflected most vividly in kinetic expression, especially dancing, the class will adopt George Clinton’s premise that if it makes you move your feet, “it’s the Funk.” Beginning with traditional African religions, we will examine the central role dancing played in possession rituals, and devote considerable attention to manifestations of this impulse in spirituals, blues, swing, soul, funk, and hip hop.

AMS majors who are pursuing a concentration that needs a little more funk in it should consult their advisors about whether this course would fit. You may contact Prof. Bolden for more information.

Last minute graduate addition!

AMS is cross-listing one more graduate seminar for this fall- AMS 998 Sociology of Race. Jessica Vasquez, our friend in the Sociology Department, will bring her expertise in theories of race and the Latino/a experience in the U.S. to this seminar. If you are a grad student in need of another class, don't miss it!

Graduate Course Available for Fall

AMS 803 Research Methods in American Studies
Program in American Studies, KU
Prof. Ben Chappell
Mondays, 4:30-7:00 pm.
Requires: graduate standing

A limited number of seats for non-AMS students are available in this course, which is a core requirement for the MA and PhD in American Studies. The course is a critical and theoretically informed consideration of qualitative methods in interdisciplinary cultural research. Taught by an anthropologist, the course emphasizes issues raised by ethnography-- that is, the epistemological, political, and ethical questions that come up when the subjects of cultural inquiry are living human beings, and the process of inquiry places the researcher in relationship with them. More generally, our concern is how to design a project such that the actual practice of research responds to the motivating questions in ways that are significant, appropriate, and feasible. Assignments are geared toward giving students practice in the professional genres of academic writing, including conference papers and proposals for research funding. The course is recommended for graduate students pursuing research in area studies, cultural studies, and other disciplinary or interdisciplinary formations across the humanities and social sciences.

Research seminar focuses on social movements

AMS 550, Research Seminar, is the capstone course of the AMS major. The course combines a topical focus reflecting the instructor's expertise with individual projects that allow students to pursue advanced research in their own areas of interest. This fall the course will focus on struggles for equality and justice in American history with the theme "Social History and Social Movements." Dr. Ray Pence, a graduate of the KU Ph.D. program will be your guide. Majors, don't miss this chance to satisfy a graduation requirement while developing your research skills and exploring how history has been not only written, but made. For permission numbers, contact the AMS office.

Danger of more cancellations!

If you have been thinking about taking an AMS course this summer but haven't gotten around to enrolling, NOW is the time to remedy that situation. Given the general budget woes, it looks like the enrollment requirements for courses to "make" will be strictly observed. We need more enrollment for the summer classes to break even. If you are enrolled in a summer class, call your friends and see if you can't get them interested, too. Do it now.

New Course: Transnational Feminist Theory

Professor Ayu Saraswati in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) has graciously agreed to cross-list her course in transnational feminist theory with AMS. The course is now available under AMS 696 as well as WGSS 696, and is open to graduate and undergraduate students alike.

The AMS program has been at the forefront of the so-called "transnational turn" in American Studies, and our faculty and graduate students are among a growing number of scholars in the field who do not restrict their research to within U.S. borders. Dr. Saraswati's course is an outstanding opportunity for AMS majors or grad students with transnational interests to gain critical skills in feminist theory.

The course description reads:

In this interdisciplinary course students will critically “read” various films (i.e., Bend it Like Beckham), novels (i.e., Lucy), music productions (i.e., Madonna within the context of transnational MTV network), and various key texts in globalization and transnational studies (i.e., High Tech and High Heels in the Global Economy) to explore the effects of transnational circulations of people, ideas, and objects on: (1) the formation of gendered, racialized, sexualized, and nation-based subjects; (2) the pattern of gender-based consumption and production in global economy; (3) the construction of gendered urban space; (4) the gendered construction of “affects” (emotions); and (5) the creation of various transnational feminist movements. Throughout the semester, students will work toward writing a publishable journal article, a conference paper, or other forms of theorizing.

Course canceled

We are very disappointed to have to cancel AMS 494 Blacks and Jews in the United States at Edwards campus for this summer. Summer offerings depend on enrollment for their funding, especially in the current dire financial situation. The course did not enroll enough students to "make." This situation underscores that if you want to take a course, it is a good idea to enroll sooner rather than later.

Students who were enrolled in 494 have a number of other options, and are encouraged to look at AMS 332 at Edwards or AMS 344 at Lawrence.