Activating American Cultures: The Politics of Identity, Media, and Public Policy

The Chesapeake Chapter of the American Studies Association announces its Spring conference, to be held at the University of Maryland, College Park on April 4-5, 2008.

The campus, located in Prince George’s County—with its ongoing debates over suburban sprawl, gentrification, the K-12 school system, and immigration—and in proximity to the nation’s capitol, represents a highly appropriate place to explore the Spring conference’s theme, “Activating American Cultures: The Politics of Identity, Media, and Public Policy.” The county embodies a working laboratory for teachers, artists, documentary filmmaker, preservationists, museum curators, nonprofit organizations and others to challenge what is taken for granted within the dramatic changes of the 21st century.

Registration is free; lunch is $10, $5 for students. Please register by March 31.

And what else can you do with an AMST degree?

More news from two of our alumni:

"I have been finished with my graduate course work for over a year now, I have been working on my thesis. My thesis is a documentary that I started three years ago. It is a movie about the bicycle taxi industry in Manhattan. It is a topic that involves issues of small business, urban transportation, evironmental alternatives, and closed door lobbyist influencing politics. " Brian S., '00

"After months of interviews, I settled in with the National Audubon Society in New York City.  I work as an assistant in their legal department and am just starting to look at graduate schools around here for next spring." Tania W., 2007

"What can you do with an degree in..." continued

I was looking over the information cards completed by our December '07 graduates, and here's a sample of they have done with a BA in American Studies:

work in fashion retail while preparing to go to graduate school in public relations
work for a local non-profit that provides comprehensive mental health services
attend law school
work for an international investment banker

Notes from MAPCAACA

I am in Philadelphia for the second time in a month, this time for the Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture conference. It's a smallish gathering -- probably under 200 attendees, total -- and so far there have been some particularly interesting sessions about childhood and children's culture. I sat through about half of a media studies session; the first paper (on the construction of quality among professional media critics) was very interesting, but I was driven out of the room by a series of incredibly ignorant stereotypes, bone-headed observations and sweeping generalizations by the next speaker. I was particularly struck by the presenter's assertion that that James Bond and Playboy arrived on the American scene "at the same time". Which I suppose is true, from the perspective of someone born in 1980. (mrowrrr...)

What can you with with an AMST degree? (continued)

We usually have between 8 and 15 American Studies majors out doing internships or community-based projects every term, year-round. I've asked them to introduce themselves to the AMST community and describe their internships and how they connect with their major. Enjoy!

What's in your news?

I subscribe to a mess of RSS feeds, mostly about race and antiracism, lifehacks/voluntary simplicity and Web 2.0. I also read the (real) Washington Post every day, the Prince George's Gazette every week and the Diamondback semi-regularly. My ears are busy, too. Besides listening to various podcasts as I walk to campus, my radio is tuned to the news on NPR while I eat breakfast and cook dinner, and conservative talk radio while I drive. Oh, and I watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, and subscribe to about a dozen listserves. These help me keep up with events and controversies from the local to the global, and frankly, some times I am exhausted.

Perhaps 2-3 hours of my day is typically spent on "news", broadly defined. (Of course, some of that time is shared with other tasks, such as chopping vegetables.) But it leads me to an odd phenomenon of American Studies: if you're a serious AMSTer, it's hard to avoid the flow of input or turn off what seems to be constant reflection and criticism.

I'm a costume historian with and interest in popular fashion, and I can't go to the local mall without finding grist for my intellectual mill. It's exciting and fun on one hand, but it can also be overwhelming. How does someone who "does" American culture and society of a living manage information overload and take time off?

What do you do with a degree in American Studies?

New Journalism (though it might be old be now) -- Tom Wolfe
Stand-up comedy -- Janeane Garofalo
Viral videos and performance art -- Tay Zonday, aka Adam Nyerere Bahner, "Chocolate Rain"
Broadcast journalism -- Katie Couric

Anyone know any more famous AMSTers?

It's for the What is American Studies unit in AMST 201 this fall.