Crossroads in the Study of the Americas : Citizenship in a Media Culture

Citizenship in a Media Culture

Prof. Lisa Henderson (UMass Amherst)
and Prof. Barry O'Connell (Amherst College)

UMass Registration: Communication 297k
Amherst College Registration: Colloquium 20
T-Th 10:00 am - 11:20 am
Mead 115 (Stirn Auditorium) Amherst College

Millions of people in this century have given and lost their lives in the name of nations and national identities. The common assumption is that all individuals have a national identity and that such identities are essential and mutually exclusive. What makes the idea of the nation so compelling? This course examines different forms of belonging in the modern nation state, and the range of symbolic modes and genres for expressing (and refusing) belonging. What does it mean to be a national? What is the difference between nationality and citizenship? What rights and obligations does citizenship entail? The First Amendment in the Constitution of the United States guarantees the rights of citizens to freedom of expression, yet at the same time a range of institutions and strategies limit those rights, as well as who can claim citizenship. We will explore those limits, along with the literacies demanded by citizenship (including those which normative models of cit

This course is part of a series of curricular initiatives involving the Five College Center, Crossroads in the Study of the Americas (CISA). Such courses, as well as being cross-disciplinary, are intended to work across the institutional lines of the five colleges. The course will also be listed under the offerings of the Communication Department at the University and taught in conjunction with Anthropology 216 (2), Citizenship, Migrations, & Diasporas (Prof. Joshua Roth) at Mount Holyoke College. The two courses will often share guest lecturers, special media showings, and discussions involving students in both.

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	Citizenship in a Media Culture Prof. Lisa Henderson (UMass Amherst) and Prof. Barry O'Connell (Amherst College) UMass Registration: Communication 297k Amherst College Registration: Colloquium 20 T-Th 10:00 am - 11:20 am Mead 115 (Stirn Auditorium) Amherst College Millions of people in this century have given and lost their lives in the name of nations and national identities. The common assumption is that all individuals have a national identity and that such identities are essential and mutually exclusive. What makes the idea of the nation so compelling? This course examines different forms of belonging in the modern nation state, and the range of symbolic modes and genres for expressing (and refusing) belonging. What does it mean to be a national? What is the difference between nationality and citizenship? What rights and obligations does citizenship entail? The First Amendment in the Constitution of the United States guarantees the rights of citizens to freedom of expression, yet at the same time a range of institutions and strategies limit those rights, as well as who can claim citizenship. We will explore those limits, along with the literacies demanded by citizenship (including those which normative models of cit This course is part of a series of curricular initiatives involving the Five College Center, Crossroads in the Study of the Americas (CISA). Such courses, as well as being cross-disciplinary, are intended to work across the institutional lines of the five colleges. The course will also be listed under the offerings of the Communication Department at the University and taught in conjunction with Anthropology 216 (2), Citizenship, Migrations, & Diasporas (Prof. Joshua Roth) at Mount Holyoke College. The two courses will often share guest lecturers, special media showings, and discussions involving students in both.