Humboldt
Universität, Sommer Semester 2004
Fridays from
12:00 to 14:00
Dorotheenstraße 24, Room 105
Office
Hour: Friday from 14:30 to 15:30
Office: Hauptgebäude
UL6, 2010 Office
Tel.: 2093-2318
Lecturer: Anne Mihan
Institut
für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
Humboldt
Universität zu Berlin
Email:
h0444p70@rz.hu-berlin.de
Guest
Lecturer: Thomas Haakenson
Berlin
Program for Advanced German and European Studies
Max-Planck-Institut
für Wissenschaftsgeschichte
Email: haakenson@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de
The terrorist attacks of 11
September 2001 have continued to play an important role in the United States of
America, and scholars have turned their attention increasingly to the role of
the media in helping legitimize the post-attack policies of the Bush
administration.
This course focuses on an analysis of the means by and reasons for which information is (mis)used. In particular, we will examine the use of the media in creating what recent critics correctly or incorrectly describe as a „culture of fear.“ Readings and lectures will be primarily in English, with some texts and discussions in German.
The goals of our course will be:
·
To analyze the way in which U.S. policy has been legitimated --
politically, rhetorically, and publicly -- following the terrorist attacks of
11 September
·
To determine the viability of the "culture of fear" thesis
developed by Barry Glassner and Michael Moore in the post-September 11th
environment
·
To examine the discourse of race in the context of U.S. culture as it
relates to and as it is distinct from the "culture of fear" thesis
·
To assess the influence of neoconservative and religious fundamentalist
groups on U.S. policy and public opinion
·
To develop models for effectively articulating critical positions with
respect to specific policy-related topics
·
To present orally and in writing on particular problematics
We will pursue these goals by focusing on four thematic areas:
·
Barry Glassner, Michael Moore, and The Culture of Fear
·
Race Matters
·
Culture Wars
·
Neoconservativism and the Religious Right
This
syllabus can also be found at http://www.tc.umn.edu/~haake004/cultureoffear
Changes
to the syllabus are possible; students will be notified in a timely fashion.
Readings and Assignments
(due on date listed)
16 April Introduction
to course, to syllabus, to thematics, and to expectations
THEMATIC ONE: Barry Glassner, Michael Moore, and The Culture of
Fear
23 April Barry
Glassner, The Culture of Fear:
Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things, pgs. xi-xxviii, 1-49,
203-25, 257.
27
April EVENT
OF POSSIBLE INTEREST (attendance not required): „The Militarization of U.S. Foreign
Policy,“ Andrew J. Bacevich, 20:00
Uhr (Hans Arnold Center; Am Sandwerder 17-19, Berlin-Wannsee). Register at program@americanacademy.de;
for details visit http://www.americanacademy.de.
30
April Cathrin
Kahlweit, "Bowling in eigener Sache," Süddeutsche Zeitung (19 November
2003): 3.
In-Class Film: Bowling for Columbine (2002), dir.
Michael Moore (running time: 114
minutes).
7 May Michael
Moore, Stupid White Men . . . and Other Sorry Excuses for the
State of the
Nation, pgs. xi-xxii, 56-118, 257-60, 267-70, 279-81, 283.
Michael Moore, "'Nicht
ganz Amerika ist verrückt'," Die Zeit 46 (6 November 2003): 37.
Nils Minkmar, "Der Moore
kann gehen!," Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung 46 (16 November
2003): 25.
PRESENTATIONS: GROUP ONE (Stupid White Men) & GROUP TWO
("'Nicht ganz Amerika . . . ," Minkmar, and the German / U.S.
reception of film / Moore).
14 May QUIZ
ONE -- BASED UPON THEMATIC ONE
Howard Winant, "Racial
Dualism at Century's End," The House That Race Built, pgs. 87-115.
Felicia R. Lee, "New
Topic in Black Studies Debate:
Latinos," The New York Times (1 February 2003): 1-3.
Andrian Kreye, "Die
braune Gefahr," Süddeutsche Zeitung 68 (22 März 2004): 14.
PRESENTATIONS: GROUP THREE (Winant) & GROUP FOUR
(Lee and Kreye).
18
May EVENT
OF POSSIBLE INTEREST (attendance not required): „The War on Terror: A Status Report,“ Daniel Benjamin, 20:00 Uhr (Hans
Arnold Center; Am Sandwerder 17-19, Berlin-Wannsee). Register at program@americanacademy.de;
visit http://www.americanacademy.de
for details.
21 May NO
CLASS SESSION
28 May Toni
Morrison, "Home," The House That Race Built, Ed. Wahneema
Lubiano (New
York: Vintage Books 1998): 3-12.
Toni
Morrison, “Recitatif,” Skin Deep: Black Women and White Women
Write
About Race, Eds. Marita Golden and Susan Richards Shreve
(New
York: Nan A. Takse Doubleday, 1995):
87-110.
PRESENTATION: GROUP FIVE ("Home" and
"Recicatif").
4th
June QUIZ
TWO -- BASED UPON THEMATIC TWO
James
Davison Hunter, Culture Wars:
The Struggle to Define America,
pgs.
xi-xiii, 31-64, 326-331 (Preface, Chapter One & Chapter Two).
PRESENTATION: GROUP SIX (Hunter, preface
and chps. 1 and 2).
*A
binder containing secondary literature and possible paper topics will
be placed in the
Institute’s library next to the course binder today.
11
June James
Davison Hunter, Culture Wars:
The Struggle to Define America,
pgs.
67-132, 159-70, 331-51, 361- 63 (Chapter Three, Chapter Four,
and
Chapter Six).
PRESENTATION: GROUP SEVEN (Hunter, chps. 3,
4, and 6).
18 June Michel
de Certeau, "Believing and
Making People Believe," The
Practice of
Everyday Life, pgs. 177-89, 227-29.
Samuel
P. Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations?," Foreign Affairs
72.3
(Summer 1993): 22-49.
Edward Said, "The Clash
of Ignorance," The Nation (22 October 2001): 1-4.
PRESENTATIONS: GROUP EIGHT (Certeau) & GROUP NINE
(Huntington and
Said).
THEMATIC FOUR:
Neoconservativism and the Religious Right
25 June QUIZ
THREE -- BASED ON THEMATIC THREE
Andy
Sundberg, "The Fundamental Challenge to American Liberal
Democracy: Leo Strauss and the
Neo-Conservatives," pgs. 1-12.
Berndt Ostendorf, "The
U.S. Between Terror and Error. Der
11. September, die politische Religion und der heilige Krieg," pgs. 1-16.
PRESENTATION: GROUP TEN (Sundberg and
Ostendorf).
28 June EVENT
OF POSSIBLE INTEREST (attendance not required): „The 2004 U.S. Election and the Implications for
Germany,“ Center for European Studies, Berlin Dialogue. Register via email with Max Hirsh at Hirsch@fas.harvard.edu. See http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~ces-ber/
for details.
2 July ABSTRACTS
DUE!!
People for the American Way, Buying
a Movement: Right-Wing Foundations
and American Politics, pgs. 3-43.
Eric Schmitt, "Pentagon
and Bogus News: All Is
Denied," The New York Times (5 December 2003): 1-2.
Robert Pear, "U.S.
Videos, for TV News, Come Under Scrutiny" The New York Times (15 March
2004): 1-4.
Stefan Fischer,
"Im Profil: Michael
Powell. Kämpfer für
Moral und Anstand in Amerikas Medien," Süddeutsche Zeitung 37 (14-15 Februar
2004): 4.
Adam Liptak,
"Treasury Department Is Warning Publishers of the Perils of Criminal
Editing of the Enemy," The New York Times (28 February 2004): 1-2.
PRESENTATION: GROUP ELEVEN (Buying a
Movement).
SUGGESTED READING:
James Davison
Hunter, Culture Wars: The
Struggle to Define America, pgs.
225-49, 373-77 (Chapter Nine).
9 July Alan
Cowell, "Anti-Americanism May Be Fading, but Forum Is No Love Fest," The
New York Times (24 January 2004): 1-3.
"Sind Sie ein guter
Anti-Amerikaner?," Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin 3 (16 January
2004): 12-15.
Jeffrey
Chester and Gary O. Larson, "A 12-Step Program for Media
Democracy,"
The Nation (23 July 2002): 1-7.
James Davison
Hunter, Culture Wars: The
Struggle to Define America,
pgs. 295-325;
388-92 (Chapter Twelve & Epilogue).
PRESENTATIONS: GROUP TWELVE (Chester and
Larson) & GROUP THIRTEEN (Hunter).
16 July QUIZ
FOUR -- BASED UPON THEMATIC FOUR
NO
REQUIRED READINGS -- FINAL IN-CLASS DISCUSSION.
30 July PAPERS
DUE!!
Grading /
Assessment of Classroom Performance
Assessment (i.e. , the grading) for the course will be
determined as follows:
20%* A.) A
fifteen- to twenty-minute group presentation to the
text(s) for a particular class
session with
questions (for discussion and for quiz); ideally three people per group
(exceptions granted only under exceptional or applicable circumstances). Groups should submit a paper copy of
presentation (notes) and questions to the instructors on the day of the
respective presentation.
20% B.) Four quizzes
over readings and discussions from each thematic of the course.
Each
quiz will consist of five multiple-choice and / or short answer questions.
60% D.) Final paper – minimum of 10 pages
for those presenting in the course;
submission
and approval of abstract required (submit paper copy of
abstract on 2 July); final papers must use the Modern Language Association
style of citation and must be written in English (exceptions granted only under
exceptional or applicable circumstances).
*Students
can choose to write a longer paper, minimum 15 pages, in lieu of the group
presentation. In such cases, 80%
of the grade will be based on the (minimum) 15- page paper and 20% of the grade
will be based on quizzes.
•
What is a QUIZ?
A quiz
consists of five multiple-choice and / or short answer questions based on
either the readings for the designated class sessions or the classroom
discussions during those sessions.
•
What is a GROUP PRESENTATION?
A group presentation consists of a short summary of the text(s), emphasizing only the main points of argumentation and the major themes or sections of the text. The introduction should conclude with questions about the reading(s) for discussion. Questions that seek to make connections to previous readings or the course themes in general are strongly encouraged. The entire presentation may not be longer than twenty minutes to ensure time for discussion and other class-related activities.
An option to
a group presentation is to present a ten-minute report with
accompanying texts and sources for further exploration based on one of the
„Events of Interest“ listed on the syllabus, either on the 27th
of April, the 18th May, or the 28th of June. These events are NOT coordinated by the
facilitators of the course, however, and require registration in advance to
attend. Please confirm via
reservation your ability to attend the event prior to proposing to present on
the topic in the course.
•
What is an ABSTRACT?
An abstract
introduces the THESIS of your argument, contextualizing the thesis using course
or course-related materials. You
should provide a bibliography of FIVE sources that you will use in your paper. At MOST two of these sources can come
from the internet. You must secure
at LEAST three sources NOT presented upon or discussed in class. An IDEAL abstract will include several
recent publications from peer-reviewed journals or reputable academic
publishers. Abstracts, including a
list of planned bibliographical materials, should be NO MORE than one page in
length.
Course Bibliography
Certeau, Michel de.
"Believing and Making People Believe." The Practice of
Everyday Life (Berkeley: U of California P, 1988): 177-89, 227-29.
Chester, Jeffrey, and Gary O.
Larson. "A 12-Step Program
for Media Democracy."
The Nation (23 July
2002): 1-7.
Cowell, Alan. "Anti-Americanism May Be Fading,
but Forum Is No Love Fest."
The New York
Times (24 January 2004): 1-3.
Fischer, Stefan. "Im Profil: Michael Powell. Kämpfer für Moral und Anstand
in
Amerikas
Medien." Süddeutsche
Zeitung 37 (14-15 Februar 2004):
4.
Glassner, Barry. The
Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are
Afraid of the Wrong
Things (New York: Basic Books, 1999).
Huntington, Samuel P.
"The Clash of Civilizations?" Foreign Affairs 72.3 (Summer
1993): 22-49.
Hunter, James Davison. Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America (New York:
Basic Books,
1991).
Kahlweit, Cathrin.
"Bowling in eigener Sache." Süddeutsche Zeitung (19 November
2003): 3
Kreye, Andrian. "Die
braune Gefahr." Süddeutsche
Zeitung 68 (22 März 2004):
14.
Lee, Felicia R. "New
Topic in Black Studies Debate:
Latinos." The New
York Times
(1 February 2003): 1.
Liptak, Adam. "Treasury Department Is Warning
Publishers of the Perils of Criminal
Editing of the
Enemy." The New York Times
(28
February 2004): 1-2.
Minkmar, Nils. "Der
Moore kann gehen!" Frankfurter
Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
46 (16 November 2003): 25.
Morrison, Toni.
"Home." The
House That Race Built. Ed.
Wahneema Lubiano (New
York: Vintage Books 1998): 3-12.
Morrison, Toni.
“Recitatif.” Skin
Deep: Black Women and White Women Write About
Race. Eds. Marita Golden and Susan Richards Shreve
(New York: Nan
A. Takse
Doubleday, 1995): 87-110.
Moore, Michael, dir. Bowling for Columbine (2002).
Moore, Michael. Stupid
White Men . . . and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the
Nation (London: Penguin Books, 2001).
Moore, Michael. "'Nicht
ganz Amerika ist verrückt'."
Die Zeit 46 (6 November 2003):
37.
Ostendorf, Berndt.
"The U.S. Between Terror and Error. Der 11. September, die
politische Religion und der
heilige Krieg," Unpublished essay 2003.
Pear, Robert.
"U.S. Videos, for TV News, Come Under Scrutiny." The New York
Times (15 March
2004): 1-4.
People for the American Way.
Buying a Movement:
Right-Wing Foundations and
American Politics. Published Report 2003.
Said, Edward. "The
Clash of Ignorance." The
Nation (22 October 2001): 1-4.
Schmitt, Eric.
"Pentagon and Bogus News:
All Is Denied." The
New York Times (5
December 2003): 1-2.
"Sind Sie ein guter Anti-Amerikaner?" Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin 3 (16 January
2004): 12-15.
Sundberg, Andy. "The Fundamental Challenge to
American Liberal Democracy: Leo
Strauss and the
Neo-Conservatives." 14
October 2003. Email to Thomas
Haakenson. 24 November 2003.
Winant, Howard.
"Racial Dualism at Century's End." The House That Race Built
(New York: Vintage Books, 1991): 87-115.