"[There is a} thin line between heaven and here" Bubbles, as played by Andre Royo on The Wire
In asking the question, What is America, this course is an examination of the modern American society in the United States, as both a critique and commentary. Within the view of John Dewey's The Public and its Problems, democracy "is more than a form of government, it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience" that is articulated through the relationship bertween democracy, the state, and the public. Throughout the course we will highlight the following topics: the role of media, the impact of public policy, campaigning for public office, the specter of surveilance, and the failures of the judicial system. Additionally, we will focus on issues associated with the following topics: racecraft, predictive policing, the myth of Black criminality, the War on Drugs, the declining significace of Unions, and the disposability of homelessness. In engaging these topics, we will use David Simon's HBO series The Wire, the critically acclaimed show, and academic articles as the lens and visual text to ground this examination and critique of democracy.
This course is an examination into the nature of american society in the United States. Making use of The Wire as a visual text alongside the research from various fields found in academic articles, this course seeks to challenge students in creating questions and posing questions on what makes and ought to make an American city function. The intent of class lectures, discussions, viewing, reading assignments, and writing activities are to foster within students a sense of the need for, and role of, critical thinking in addressing societal issues.
GenEd Information: See the GenEd Website for information about courses approved for the IU Bloomington General Education requirements.
Catalog Information: AMST-A 100 What is America?