230583 American Journalism and Culture (S) (SoSe 2007)

This course will fulfill the requirement for "Praxisstudien" in
the Profile phase. It is also open to other students doing PM 5 and 6 if
they are eager to do practical tasks demanding initiative and
self-direction rather than pariticipating (or remaining passive) in a
more traditional lecture-seminar.

The concept underlying the course is that we can use newspapers and
other news media to explore the regional cultures of the United States.
Following the approach of Joel Garreau in ''The Nine Nations
of North America,'' by reading the regional press online for places in New
England or Dixie/The South or the Breadbasket of the Midwest (for
example), we can find out more about what it feels like to live in one
of these places: what concerns people? What do they celebrate, complain
about or devote their attention to? What persists from their historical origins?
How is their life changing under contemporary conditions?

We will begin the course with some theoretical readings in cultural
geography. Students will then select regions for their investigation
and develop hypotheses about the regional cultures. Most of the
course work will involve regularly reading the relevant regional press
to find examples that confirm and/or call into question the original
hypotheses. Students will collect articles on their regions and discuss
what this information contributes to a sense of the particular places
under investigation. They will be encouraged to work collaboratively in
small groups. The final project will be to compile personal visions of contrasting
regions based on research taken from the news media--this could be in the
form of a more traditional term paper or the creation of a set of linked web pages,
or other creative media realizations.

This course develops an approach I have tried to a much more limited
extent in Introduction to American Civlization and should appeal to
students interested in journalism and those who prefer to engage in
hands-on tasks following their own interests rather than absorbing
information pre-packaged by seminar leaders or lecturers. Class time
will be used primarily for progress reports, consultation, trouble shooting
and the exchange of ideas. The shape of the course will develop from the
interests and talents of the participants. There will be considerable scope
for your own input and suggestions since I regard this approach as
"still under construction."