Course Themes American Studies The American Dream What

Course Themes American Studies

The American Dream What does the American Dream mean to you? What are some things that make up the American Dream?

The Rebel in Society What does it mean to be a rebel? What does it mean to be a conformist, a nonconformist? What are some of the things you do when you are a rebel?

Hope and Despair What does it mean to have hope? What does it mean to be in despair? Can you think of any historical events that were both a time of hope and then ultimately a time of despair?

Change and Innovation What are some examples of Change and Innovation in our country? What are the consequences of these changes?

Power, Authority, and Leadership Define this theme What are some positions of power?

Elitism and Egalitarianism Elitsim: consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group. Egalitarianism: belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, social, or economic life.

Social and Gender Roles The difference in social classes The difference in gender classes

Idealism/Loss of Innocence What changes in America have lead to a loss of innocence? What is loss of innocence?

Assignment You are going to be assigned to a theme You have to depict your theme through pictures. You must draw at least 4 pictures that represent your theme without using words. You are going to present your poster to the rest of the class explaining why you chose to draw the pictures you did.