Spring 2023
AMERSTD 101 002 - LEC 002
Examining U.S. Cultures in Time
A History of the Present from 9/11/2001 to 1/6/2021
Michael M Cohen
Class #:23957
Units:4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
2
Enrolled: 48
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 50
Waitlist Max: 10
Open Reserved Seats:0
Hours & Workload
0 to 1 hours of the exchange of opinions or questions on course material, 9 to 7 hours of outside work hours, and 3 to 4 hours of instructor presentation of course materials.
Final Exam
TUE, MAY 9TH
11:30 am - 02:30 pm
Mulford 240
Other classes by Michael M Cohen
Course Catalog Description
This course examines how U.S. cultures are constructed, reinforced, and changed, and how those cultures act simultaneously at a given time. To help students develop skills in cultural analysis, lectures will contrast various methods and perspectives as they apply to the study of a particular year or decade. Topics will vary from semester to semester. This course may include discussion sections depending on available funding. Some versions of this course need four in-class contact hours because of the extensive use of media.
Class Description
This interdisciplinary history course explores the origins of our present crisis by studying the history of the United States from 9/11/2001 to 1/6/2021. Using historical and cultural studies methods to study the recent past, we will take on the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and cultural changes that have remade American life in the past two decades. This era has led us to a state of almost permanent crisis in which our democracy, our health and sanity, our jobs and relationships, and our planet all feel on the verge of collapse. Primary topics include the long war on terrorism, the ongoing crisis of global capitalism, race and the culture wars of the Obama era, America’s widening political polarization and the impact of climate change on our bodies, landscapes and culture. Throughout, we will read histories, journalism and novels, listen to popular music, watch important films and TV shows, and generally reconsider the history of a past that we have all somehow survived and must continue to live through. Readings include works by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jia Tolentino, Ling Ma, Elizabeth Kolbert, Adam Serwer, Amia Srinivasan, and Spencer Ackerman.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Requirements class fulfills
Meets Social & Behavioral Sciences, L&S Breadth
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials
Associated Sections
None