...American Studies Elec1ve Course European Studies Dave van Ginhoven Tuesday, April 9, 13 Welcome § Welcome to American Studies § An Elec7ve Course § 5 ECTS Credits § Meet your teachers § Dave van Ginhoven § Ovaal 4.36 § d.vanginhoven@hhs.nl / @mrginhoven § Geoffrey Lord § Ovaal 4.69 § G.w.lord@hhs.nl Tuesday, April 9, 13 Today’s subjects § Why we’re here § Explana7on of the course and exam § Discussion about American Iden7ty § Chapters 1 and 2 of The American Civiliza0on § If you haven’t read them yet… § “Truth, Jus7ce and The American Way” And study for your exam § How to read a textbook § Tuesday, April 9, 13 Why are we here? § What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the US? § What about “truth, jus7ce and the American way”? § Why? § How much do you actually know about the US? § Where did your informa7on and opinions come from? Tuesday, April 9, 13 Why are we here? § Percep7on is shaped by Perspec7ve § § § Our own cultural norms The...
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...Liu ASIAN 231 Research Paper The life of a Chinese American Growing up in a country where you are a minority amongst many other minorities can be difficult. This can cause many mental illnesses to the families and the individual itself. The United States is a country with many minority groups, one of which includes Chinese Americans. I know myself that it’s hard living in a place where there is racism and stereotypes about Chinese people, since I have been through this. The Chinese community is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States. The Chinese first came to the United States in the middle of the nineteenth century. The reason why they left their home country was due to high taxes, peasant rebellions, family feuds, and poverty. The reason they came to the United States during that time was because of the California Gold Rush and a better economic opportunities. But because there were so many Chinese coming, the people of the United States developed xenophobia (a fear of people from other countries). So 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was put upon. But many years later, Chinese Americans were able to slowly to come back into the United States. Living in a different country can be very difficult. Especially if you are a parent trying to raise your children. This can cause a lot of stress because they have to work really hard in order to provide for their family. In “Chinese American Parents’ Acculturation and Enculturation, Bicultural Management...
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...We are interested in how second-generation Asian American students at the University of Illinois feel about being Asian American, particularly those who are not of Chinese, Korean, Filipino or Japanese descent. In other words, we are focusing on students whose background ethnicity represents Southeast Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Indonesian) and South Asian (Indian, Bengali, Pakistani) and so forth. We want to explore how various Asian ethnic groups identify socially and culturally with the term Asian American. We asked for written responses from Asian American students, who have these background ethnicities, to describe in their own words what being Asian American means to them. In addition, we walked around campus and interviewed several second-generation Asian Americans. In their explanations, we encouraged the students to explain if it was a struggle growing up in America, whether they have ever been a victim to stereotypes or discrimination and how they have dealt with it. We took these statements and compared them to the stereotypes placed immigrants of the 1900s. In addition to the interviews, we analyzed our finding with an article published by Jerry Park of Baylor University titled, “Second-Generation Asian American Pan-Ethnic Identify: Pluralized Meaning of a Racial Label” who did a similar study in four public universities, along with other readings from class. The term, Asian American, was formed as a significant symbolic move in constructing an ethnic identity...
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...specifics of what constituted this identity (ex: religion, family formation) is largely dependent on the time period and region being discussed—ex: the 17th Century African identity in North America is different from the 18th Century identity in Europe. Several factors that enhanced the creation of the African identity (definition 2) include: (1) ability to form families as a result of the gender ratio, mortality rates, segregation from other slaves, (2) population ratio of native-born to creolized slaves, and (3) religious movement that were characteristic of the time and space. These three factors allowed for the African identity to be realized and eventually led to the syncretism of the African culture with the American culture to produce a new African American identity. In order to appreciate the differences in what was contained in the African identity, the reason behind the generation of the unity of the Africa continent is important to understand. Thomas Holt...
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... In today’s market economy, American Apparel places a premium on differentiating itself from the competition by creating a unique brand image based on a hip, comfortable line of clothing, and a “Made in the USA” slogan. Founded in California, American Apparel is a company that wants its customers to be comfortable in its merchandise, as well as in their own skin above all else. American Apparel offers clothing and accessories for men, women, children, and even pets. The vertically-integrated company prides itself on providing value to its customers, making them loyal shoppers of their brand. With over 150 retail store locations nationwide and over a dozen more in countries across the globe, American Apparel has earned its reputation by offering fashionable products of high quality at affordable prices. SEGMENTATION The fashion apparel retail market can be segmented using the following factors: geographic, demographic, and psychographic. Before entering the market, American Apparel studied these factors to create segments. In terms of geographic factors, American Apparel could have alternatively chosen to target include those living in rural small towns, far away from a major metropolis, or in the middle of a farming community. While American Apparel operates over 150 stores in the United States alone, there are less than 24 retail outlets located in the Midwest[1]. As far as demographic factors are concerned, American Apparel mainly steers away from...
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...The victor of this game truly had to earn its way to the CCC Championship game as it was a back-and-forth battle between the No. 2 Windsor and No. 3 Simsbury boys’ basketball team, resulting in an overtime 84-76 victory for the Windsor Warriors. However, most importantly for Warriors head coach Ken Smith, it demonstrated the team’s “resilience” to claw its way back from a 67-54 deficit with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. “That was a great team we just came back on and being so down and they (Trojans) being so fundamentally sound,” Smith said. “We did a great job of playing and they played together and so ‘you came back and fought, you grind, the grit to come back and you won the game’ and that’s what they did.” With the Warriors down by 13-points, Windsor went on an 18-5 run and had a chance to win the game in its final seconds, but they were not able to connect to the hoop. Windsor’s Jordan Riley had the game-winning shot by making both foul shots with less than three minutes to go in overtime. Riley had 26-points in the game and Tyshawn Welborn led the team and the game with 31-points. On the other side of the ball, Simsbury’s Jackson Butler led the team in scoring with 26-points and Ralph Gilliard had 15-points. The first half of the game was tight for both teams. Simsbury Jackson Butler started the scoring with a three-pointer to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead. Windsor’s Melvin Floyd followed with a layup to cut the score 3-2. Welborn executed with a two-pointer...
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...Chicanos wanted a space in the ivory tower to have a better opportunity of achieving the “American Dream” than the previous generation which was perceived as dirty, poor, and uneducated. Chicano Studies is driven by of hope, faith, and hard work for a better understanding of history and demand for change. The term Chicano is now progressively changing as community members want to make the term more inclusive. The impetus began with el movimiento in the 1960-1970s demanding farm worker rights (1965), student rights (1968), and racial/historical recognition (1977). In El Plan de Santa Barbara, by the Chicano Coordinating Council on Higher Education, implies a Chicano is identified as a self-identifying term which is a generative root idea. The...
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...In the case study as described a seemingly cultural competent white counselor meets with African-American male. Although during the intake evaluation the client was listed as depression, he early on indicated that he was frustrated with finding employment and hoped that he could receive help with making this become reality. The counselor felt that the client hoped to get everything on a “silver” platter and unwilling to do some work to achieve this to happen. The counselor felt that he should go to an employment office. This issue created frustration in the relationship between the counselor and his client. Because of a single incident the counselor felt at some time threatened and concerned for a physical altercation. With this experience he felt that...
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...Indians, who was the aborigines of Americas, have suffered from the war and colonization for many years. After the found of the United States of America, Indians became the citizen of the USA, but they didn’t have the same rights as other race. So, someone did a lot of job to make it change. Throughout the history, the most famous stuff is Marshall Trilogy. John Marshall, the longest serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court history and played a significant role in the development of the American legal system and federal Indian law, has been credited with cementing the position of the American judiciary as an independent and influential branch of government. He made some decisions about the US government, and his decisions were about the Indians’ rights and laws. So, these decisions were regard as Marshall Trilogy. Three parts of the Marshall Trilogy are: Johnson v. M’Intosh in 1823, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia in 1831, and Worcester v. Georgia in 1832. The first one is Johnson v. M’Intosh, this case related to land issues and the interpretation of the Doctrine of Discovery in the United States. Johnson and M’Intosh wanted to obtain the same land, but the government stood on the side of M’Intosh, and it said Indians did not own land outright, but they could occupy the land, only the US can solve those land conflicts. Indians could not sell the lands. In a word, only the US government can communicate with the Indians about land problems. The second one is Cherokee Nation v. Georgia...
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...How would you discuss the worldviews and value systems of Indigenous peoples prior to European contact/invasion? How did these worldviews impact all aspects of life (science, agriculture, language, spirituality, etc.) for indigenous peoples? The worldviews and value system of the indigenous people was highly based on religion and community centrism(Cruz 2012). Religion influenced the Indigenous peoples' entire lives, particularly their daily activities, sacrifices, geographic location and their calendars. Community centrism impacted major aspects of their lives such as their form of rule, and whether or not they became educated. Unlike the western european custom of going to church and worshiping on sundays, their religious values were reflected in daily activities through religious reminders and spiritual thought. (Cruz 9/10/2012). Religion and worshiping was a huge and important aspect of their lives. For example, their means of obtaining food did not just consist of growing the food, but it also included the blessing of their soil and praying. Indigenous people made observations about growing food,which their lives depended on; and Shaman priests would bless the soil their food grows on(Covarrubias 8/27/1012). During ceremonies, time was taken out to pray and give thanks for corn, water etc (cruz 9/5/2012). Another crucial part of their worship was sacrifice. The Mechica made sacrifices or offerings to the gods which was usually in the form of a ceremony. These rituals...
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...Executive Summary – American Airlines The future of American Airlines remains uncertain after a lieu of mistakes and misfortunes. American Airlines’ parent company, AMR, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November of last year after recording net losses of $2.1 billion, $1.5 billion, and $471 million in 2008, 2009, and 2010 respectively. Also, with AMR’s previous CEO declaring retirement, new CEO Tom Horton was named. In the wake of their financial predicament, American Airlines is also having PR, managerial, and maintenance problems. The pilot union is demanding an industry standard contract that includes salary and job security provisions. The inability of AA to negotiate a deal, along with thousands of job cuts, has left many American Airlines’ employees bitter. In recent months, flight attendants have engaged in very inappropriate public rants and rude behavior consequently causing delays among flights and irate customers. In addition to the behavioral issues, several planes have had to make emergency landings due to loose seats and other incidents of insufficient inspection. In July, five AA passengers had to be hospitalized after encountering turbulence during a flight. American Airlines’ fleet of aircrafts has an average age of 15 years. These aged carriers are inefficient energy consumers and multiply costs. American Airlines has openly declared their opposition to a merger with US Airways, although, the final decision rests with AMR and negotiations are still in progress...
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...issue I wish to address is mass incarceration of African Americans as it affects the adolescent population. In Mendel study (as cited in Rubinstein, Craven & McCormack, 2014) “African American youth accounts for 16% of the total number of adolescent in the United States and make up nearly 40% of the total youth currently imprison”. Our social justice’s system has been driven by racism in the days of slavery till today as more and more black and brown adolescents are languishing in jail. In addition to this, Arya and Augarten study (as cited in Rubinstein et al, 2014) found that “African American youth are more likely to be sentenced in adult jails compared to their White counterparts.” African American adolescents are...
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...Harriet Washington – Medical Apartheid Book Essay QUESTION 1: Iatrophobia “One of the most harmful contemporary legacies of this history of abusive medical experimentation is that many African Americans are wary of participating in potentially life saving medical studies. A recent study in the American Journal of Law and Medicine estimated that only 1 percent of the nearly 20 million Americans enrolled in biomedical studies are black. This reluctance, though justified, has meant that blacks often miss out on the latest treatments and breakthroughs.” – Amara Rivera Given the History of Medical Apartheid in the U.S., African-Americans have tended to be iatrophobic. Should African-Americans continue to participate in medical research and trust their doctors today? Would Harriet Washington and Tim Wise be in support of your argument? QUESTION 2: Ebola Watch this Press TV video: The Debate: Ebola Man-made (pt1) (11 mins) Based on his arguments, is Dr. Short a conspiracy theorist? Comment on the validity of Dr. Short’s arguments and examples given the arguments provided by Washington in Medical Apartheid in the Epilogue of the book and in the rest of the text. Use the relevant examples and ideas Washington uses to draw connections between medical apartheid practiced on Blacks in the U.S and Blacks in Africa from her book. QUESTION 3: Scientific Racism and Eugenics The "science" of eugenics proposed that human perfection could be developed through selective breeding and...
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...American Studies American Studies can be a variety of different meanings to a lot of different authors. They are all pretty much on the same note, but with different alterations. For me, I believe that it is to make connections between the past and how it will impact the future. American Studies has transformed overtime. Each individual has their own beliefs and feelings of what it really means. In Gene Wise’s article he states how he is interested in how the field of American Studies has transformed overtime, what American Studies methodology is, and the types of questions that American Studies practitioners ask. I believe that there is no one way to understand America. For Gene, he begins to understand America by looking into the past. On the other hand, there was also the Linda Kerber essay that we had also read at the beginning of the semester. Kerber was saying in her article that there was something that was wrong with the myth and symbolist methodology. She also talked about how there are new approaches and diversity in the field and how it has altered the ways that American Studies practitioners write, teach, and learn. What interested me most in her article is how American Studies was quicker to welcome women and ethnic studies. I believe the answer to this is simply that the women represent a larger group and they are more out spoken. Kerber also saw a great deal of chauvinism with the myth symbolist methodology, as well as this certain approach not looking for structures...
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...Mini-Ethnographic Study: African-American women’s hair salon Introduction: The present study aims to provide an ethnographic description of the population of an African-American women’s hair salon located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The study was carried out through a 3-hour field interaction that occurred in the afternoon of May 22, 2013. The field observation comprised the following techniques: picture, drawing, spontaneous conversation, interview and note-taking. The first part of the study introduces the environment where the interaction took place and the population studied. The second part presents the observation itself and a detailed description of the population’s cultural traits. And finally, the third part of the study summarizes the key findings of the observation under a socioeconomic perspective. Subject: The subject of this study is the African-American women’s hair salon Foxy Diva’s, located in Germantown. I chose this subject of study for three main reasons. First, I currently live in Germantown and I wished to get a better understanding of the neighborhood and its population. Second, I wanted to learn more about the socioeconomic environment of the African-American population. And finally, making a parallel with Brazil, I expected hair salons in American poor neighborhoods to be relevant social spaces and, consequently, to be interesting environments for an ethnographic observation. Germantown is a neighborhood located in the northwestern suburbs of...
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