American Studies 302 - Seminar: The Material Culture of New England, 1630–1860

This seminar examines the material culture of everyday life in New England from the earliest colonial settlements to the Victorian era. It introduces students to the growing body of material culture studies and the ways in which historic landscapes, architecture, furniture, textiles, metalwork, ceramics, foodways and domestic environments are interpreted as cultural documents and as historical evidence. Offered on-site at Historic Deerfield (with transportation available from the Smith campus), the course offers students a unique opportunity to study the museum’s world-famous collections in a hands-on, interactive setting with curators and historians. Utilizing the disciplines of history, art and architectural history, anthropology, and archaeology, we explore the relationships between objects and ideas and the ways in which items of material culture both individually and collectively convey patterns of everyday life. Admission by permission of the instructor.

Instructor Permission Req. Not open to first-years, sophomores