To be completely honest, I did not really know what an American Studies class was when I registered for it besides a course for my humanities credit. This class was completely different than any other class that I have taken. Most of my classes are in large lectures where we take notes and then go back to our dorms and memorize our notes. This class was completely different. I found myself going back to my room to look up more information on what we had talked about in class. The topics covered during class were very thought provoking and honestly things I had never really thought about at this level before. For example, we talked about disability in a way that was so far beyond the medical terms that I have learned in other classes. We focused on people instead of terminology and labels. Another thing that I got from the course is that there is more than one side to everything and definitely more than one opinion towards it.

Reflection

To be honest I did not really know what this class was gonna offer. I just took it to get enough credits. Once I got into the class I really started to enjoy it. It was very interesting to learn so of the things that you taught us. As the semester went on this was probably the only class that I actually looked forward to going to. It was the only class i did not skip atleast one class. Also I did not think that I would end up taking another AMS class but I really enjoyed this class so I wanted to take another. You were also a great teacher and made it enjoyable to come to class. You really opened my eyes to all the different things that happen in our society and what makes our country a unique place to live.

Class Reflection

In this course, American Study 107, I have learned a lot of American culture in the class. All of the themes that were taught and discussed in class were very interesting to me especially the Vampire. Compared to the old version Chinese vampire TV show that I used to watched before, Dracula was very intriguing for me. Actually, all of the themes that I learned in class were unfamiliar because it is very hard for me to find out some event about those themes such as disability and race in my homeland. Although I am not in American study major, the course materials are meaningful to learn it.

AMS 107 - Great Class!!

I lucked out when a seat became available the second week of the semester because this was a great class. I learned that almost everything in society is socially constructed and that as time goes on, things seem to change in an effort to adapt to the specific time period. So many things contribute to the "make-up" and identity of society (religion,race, gender, sex even vampires and freak shows) and as times goes on the influence of the media and internet become greater. I learned that the theme of "the other" has been prevalent in society for such a long time, when you think back to slavery and presently to vampires, the disabled and gays/lesbians. Through the years these groups have faced so much scrutiny and discrimination and I want to believe that as a society we are taking a look at history and learning from previous mistakes. Everyone should take an American Studies course so they can learn about people and see how many things contribute to who we are as a society and and as an individual.

Reflection

AMS has showed me a lot about American culture over time. I have never put that much thought into how all of these different movements and controversies effect our culture. Culture can be determined directed by anything such as music, racism, money, sexism, and even vampires. All of these different aspects can be related to American culture and can create different outcomes. It comes to show that literally anything can effect the movements of culture and how people react to certain aspects in society. The complete way of living can be drawn back to the a certain event or sequence in the past.

As for the class in general, I really liked the layout and curriculum. The class discussions brought up many topics and different point of views that really interested me and sparked learning. It was entertaining and I learned a lot.

What I've learned in AMS

Over the course of the semester, I have learned about several topics that are not openly discussed such as vampires, freak-shows, slavery, civil rights, and modern day issues such gay rights. The topics all share to some degree "The Other" or "Otherness". Before I took this class, I was not very enthusiastic to discuss these types of sensitive topics. I learned how to address and discuss these topics as well as further develop my opinions on these topics. I liked having the classroom discussions to hear what everyone had to say. It helped answer questions that I may have had as well as bring up new questions that helped my understanding of the material. Overall, I feel that i have learned a lot through these lectures, discussions and blogs as well as furthering my understanding of our culture and society.

AMS Rocks!!!!

I enjoyed the discussions we had in this class. They were open, informative, thought-provoking, and above all else, inspiring. I really do want to take more AMS classes and continue on to double major in it. I didn't give disability much thought until this class, nor did I give vampires much thought, but when you delve into the histories and the ideas behind some of these popular concepts, you can generate academic discourse that leads to further research and exploration. Yes, some things you may argue need no explanation and so why over-think why people love vampires, buy a certain type of music, or enjoy watching a specific genre of movie. The reality is there is a rhyme and reason behind all human action and thought, even when we think there is not. We learn about our tendencies, our innate desires, drives, values, etc. through studying popular culture because we created it.