Student Resources

Chapter 1: The American Context

Chapter Resources

Articles on American national identity

Polls and literature

Academic organizations

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • How are Americans divided in their views on Big Business and Big Government and how are they related to anti-statism?    
  • Discuss to what extent American society is defined by consumerism. What roles do brand names play in American consumer culture?
  • What is the relationship between the terms assimilation, Americanization, multiculturalism, and integration?
  • What are civil rights? What kinds of movements are associated with the protection of civil rights in the US?   
  • What is the Protestant work ethic and what role has it played in shaping American culture?
  • What is racism—individual prejudices or social structures—or both? Discuss different definitions of racism and how they affect how people view American society.
  • What is American exceptionalism and how does it affect the role of the United States in the world? How does it relate to American identity?
  • How have party politics influenced the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States?

  

Chapter 2: The Country

Chapter Resources

Articles on Americans and their country

The land and the landscape

Environmentalist groups

Cultural Regions

The South:

The West:

The Northeast:

The Midwest:

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • American National Parks and other public lands are “multiple use” areas. Pick a protected natural area (e.g., the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) and identify the key stakeholders and their interests in the area. Discuss how those interests conflict and how they might be balanced.
  • Pick a region of the United States (e.g., the Central Lowlands or the Great Plains). What kind of landscape and climate does it have and how has that influenced settlement and its main industries?
  • How have the Democratic and Republic administrations differed with regard to the extraction and shipment of fossil fuels? Discuss specific cases that illustrate this difference.
  • It is said that The West is a myth. What does this mean, and do you agree? Explain and support your position with evidence.
  • Discuss the role of the Great Lakes in the development of the country’s industrial core. What role did iron ore from the Mesabi Range west of Lake Superior and Appalachian coal play in this?
  • What is the “Rust Belt”? How did it get that label? Discuss the role of the “Rust Belt” in recent presidential elections.

Chapter 3: The People: Settlement and Immigration

Chapter Resources

Immigration data and polls

 

Government websites

Newspapers and magazines

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2020-54638643

Online exhibits and primary sources

Nonfiction books

  • Roger Daniels, (1990) Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life.
  • Ronald Takaki, (1998) Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans.
  • Matthew Frye Jacobson, (1999) Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race.
  • Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, (2018) My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family and Food.

Films

  • The Immigrant (1917)
  • In Old Chicago (1937)
  • West Side Story (1961)
  • Avalon (1990)
  • My Family (1993)
  • The Godfather, Part II (1972)
  • Gangs of New York (2002)
  • The Namesake (Mira Nair, 2006)
  • Brooklyn (2015)
  • Gran Torino (2008)
  • Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
  • The Big Sick (2017)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • What were the differences between the northern colonies and the middle colonies?       
  •  Compare and contrast the four main waves of immigration to the USA.
  • What were IRCA and DACA? Discuss the context and consequences of these acts.
  • Discuss the similarities and differences between President Obama’s approach to immigration and President Trump’s.  What did President Biden do with regard to immigration within the first few months of his term in office?
  • How and why have American attitudes and policies toward Chinese immigrants changed over time?

Chapter 4: The People: Women and Minorities

Chapter Resources

Women

Films

  • 9 to 5 (1980)
  • North Country (2005)
  • Joy (2015)
  • The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
  • A League of Their Own (1992)
  • Hidden Figures (2016)
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
  • Rosie the Riveter (1944)

Native Americans

 

Films

  • Smoke Signals (1998)
  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
  • Dance Me Outside (2008)
  • The Last of the Mohicans (1993)
  • Powwow Highway (1989)

LGBT

Films

  • Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
  • Milk (2008)
  • The Kids are Alright (2010)
  • Brokeback Mountain (2005)
  • A Single Man (2009)
  • Stonewall (2015)
  • Moonlight (2016)
  • Carol (2015)
  • Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995)

African Americans

Films

  • Glory (1989)
  • Malcolm X (1992)
  • 12 Years a Slave (2013)
  • Selma (2014)
  • Loving (2016)
  • The Help (2011)
  • Harriet (2019)
  • 13th (2016)

Asian Americans

Films

  • The Namesake (Mira Nair, 2006)
  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
  • Searching for General Tso (2014, documentary).
  • Joy Luck Club (1993)
  • Minari (2020)
  • The Farewell (2019)
  • To Be Takei (2014)
  • The Split Horn (2001) https://www.pbs.org/splithorn/film.html

Latino Americans

Films

  • César Chávez (2014)
  • Frida (Julie Taymor, 2002)
  • Chicano! (1996)
  • Selena (1997)
  • Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna, 2007)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • Discuss the history of urban ghettos in America.
  • What did the 2010 Arizona immigration law aim to and why was it controversial? What was the outcome of the Supreme Court case?
  • Compare and contrast the first, second and third waves of feminism. When did each happen and what were their main objectives?
  • Describe the significant steps each of the last four Presidents (Biden, Trump, Obama and Clinton) took to advance or undermine LGBT rights. Who do you think show more support of LGBT people the Democrats or Republican?
  • What is the Black Lives Matter movement and how did it start? What is the significance of George Floyd’s death?
  • Compare and contrast the history of Japanese and Chinese immigration. How can you account for the differences between the experiences of the two groups?

Chapter 5: Religious Culture

Chapter Resources

Blogs and online magazines

Religious magazines and newspapers

  • Christianity Today (evangelical Protestant)
  • Christian Century (mainline Protestant)
  • The Forward (Jewish)
  • Ensign (Mormon)
  • America: The Jesuit Review (Catholic)
  • First Things (conservative Catholic)

Research groups

 

Church-state issues

Liberal, secular groups:

Conservative Christian group:

Key Supreme Court cases

Civil religion

Articles and essays

Documentaries

  • God in America (2010), a history of religion in American public life
  • The Mormons (2007), a history of the Mormon tradition
  • Friends of God (Alexandra Pelosi, 2006), on contemporary evangelical Christianity
  • The Muslims are Coming! (Negin Farsad & Dean Obeidallah, 2013), a story of Muslim comedians touring America
  • The Scopes Trial, PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082_01.html

Films

  • The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
  • Sister Act (Emile Ardolino, 1992)
  • The Apostle (Robert Duvall, 1997)
  • Bruce Almighty (Tom Shadyac, 2003)
  • Saved! (Brian Dannelly 2004)
  • Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2008)
  • Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015)

On religion in films

Fiction and memoirs

  • Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin (novel)
  • “The Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne (short story)
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou (memoir)
  • “Defender of the Faith,” Philip Roth (short story)
  • Franny and Zooey, JD Salinger (novel)
  • The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta (novel)

Podcasts

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • What arguments are used to support and to oppose civil religion, such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and religious expressions, such as prayers at graduation ceremonies, in public schools? Visit religious and secular newspapers and magazines and/or legal groups such as Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, American Civil Liberties Union, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Liberty Counsel and study their material on religion in public schools in general and prayer at graduation ceremonies in particular.
  • The authors describe “Transcendentalism, which stressed the individual and nature, as a reaction to traditional Puritanism” and noted that the movement was “restricted largely to literary intellectuals.” Study biographical information and the works of influential Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Who were they and what did they believe?
  • Compare and contrast creationism and evolutionism. What bearing do these two points of view have on the public school curriculum?
  • The vast majority of Americans support religious freedom. Can you think of any examples in which the United States has fallen short of this ideal? What has the Supreme Court done to promote religion?
  • What role does religion play in American politics, and how does this relate to the separation of church and state?

Chapter 6: Political Institutions: The Federal Government

Chapter Resources

Research centers and primary source collections

Podcasts, blogs, and articles:

Nonfiction books

  • Doug Rossinow, The Reagan Era: A History of the 1980s. Columbia University Press, 2015.
  • Rick Perlstein, Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America. Scribner, 2008.
  • H. W. Brands, Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Anchor Books, 2009.
  • Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America,1835. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm
  • Barack Obama, A Promised Land, 2020.
  • For information books that shape the current political debate, see e.g. the New York Times bestsellers list: https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/

Films

  • All the President’s Men (1976)
  • Primary Colors (1998)
  • Frost/Nixon (2008)
  • Wag the Dog (1997)
  • Election (1999)
  • W. (2008)
  • Game Change (2012)
  • Lincoln (2012)
  • The Campaign (2012)
  • Southside with You (2016)
  • RBG (2018)
  • The Post (2017)

TV series

  • John Adams (HBO, 2008)
  • The West Wing (NBC, 1999-2006)
  • Veep (HBO, 2012-2019)
  • Designated Survivor (ABC, 2016-2018; Netflix, 2018-2019)
  • House of Cards (Netflix, 2013-2018)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • What is the “necessary and proper clause”? What implications does it hold for the exercise of federal power? Can you think of any instances in which it has or could be abused?
  •  How are primaries and caucuses similar and how do they differ? What role do they play in the presidential election cycle?
  • What was the Supreme Court ruling Citizens United v. FEC about? What implications does this decision have for campaign financing, and why has it been controversial?
  • Describe the differences between the Democratic and Republican Parties and how they have changed over time? What factors have influenced how well each party has done in different regions and at different points in time?
  • Describe the separation of powers. Discuss this in relation to the system of checks and balances put in place by the Constitution. Do you think the system still works? Why or why not?

Chapter 7: Political Institutions: State and Local Government

Chapter Resources

  • Links to charters and constitutions of the states form American Legal History Online Sources, University of Chicago: http://guides.lib.uchicago.edu/amerleghistonline
  • Local and regional newspapers cover state and local politics. Some good starting points include:
  • Kansas City Star: https://www.kansascity.com/
  • Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/
  • The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/
  • The Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/
  • Omaha World-Herald: https://omaha.com/
  • Minneapolis Star Tribune: https://www.startribune.com/
  • Atlanta Journal-Constitution: https://www.ajc.com

Other websites

Contemporary and historical state-federal issues

Films

  • Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
  • All the King’s Men (1949)
  • Blaze (1989)
  • The Last Hurrah (1958)
  • The Candidate (1972)
  • City Hall (2020)
  • Milk (2008)

TV

  • Spin City (1996-2002)
  • Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
  • The Wire (esp. season 4) (2002-2008)
  • City So Real (2020)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • Examine the main responsibilities of local governments and how grants-in-aid shape the possibilities and restrictions on what local governments can do.
  • How has American federalism changed over time? Discuss the meanings of dual federalism, cooperative federalism and New Federalism.
  • What are special districts? What role do they play in American society?
  • Compare and contrast the views of recent Republican and Democrat presidents with regard to federalism. What patterns and departures from the expected pattern do you detect?
  • How do state and local government facilitate greater citizen involvement? Is this a good or a bad thing? Explain.

Chapter 8: Foreign Policy

Chapter Resources

Historical documents

Key collections and documents include:

Journals and magazines

Think tanks and organizations

Articles, blogs and websites:

TV

  • Madam Secretary (CBS, 2014-2019)
  • Homeland (Showtime, 2011-2020)
  • The Americans (FX, 2013-2018)
  • Narcos (Netflix, 2015-)
  • The Vietnam War (documentary): https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/
  • Winds of War (ABC, 1983 mini-series)

Films

  • Apocalypse Now (1979)
  • Thirteen Days (2000)
  • The Quiet American (2002)
  • Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
  • Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
  • Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
  • Sicario (2015)
  • Argo (2012)
  • Pearl Harbor (2001)
  • Rendition (2007)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • Choose two of the following and compare and contrast the foreign policies they outline: Washington’s Farewell Address, Monroe Doctrine, the Fourteen Points, the Roosevelt Corollary, the Truman Doctrine, and the Four Freedoms.  In doing so, use and define such key terms as expansionism, internationalism, limited internationalism, anti-imperialists, imperialism, and isolationism.
  • What are the main tenets of American exceptionalism and how has this been reflected in American foreign policy?
  • What impact did the 9/11 terrorist attacks have on American foreign policy? Compare and contrast the foreign policies of President George W. Bush and President Barak Obama.
  • What is McCarthyism? How does this relate to the Truman Doctrine and the Cold War?
  • How and why did the United States get involved in the first and second world wars?  How did the American people feel about each war?

Chapter 9: The Legal System

Chapter Resources

Links to federal legal institutions

Primary sources and historical documents

Activist groups

Blogs and podcasts

Articles and websites:

Books (fiction and nonfiction)

  • Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
  • Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (1966)
  • Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (2003)
  • Lauri Lebo, The Devil in Dover: An Insider's Story of Dogma V. Darwin in Small-town America (2009)
  • Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness(2012)
  • Leigh Ann Wheeler, How Sex Became a Civil Liberty (2012)

 

Some key Supreme Court cases

  • Marbury v. Madison (1803)
  • Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
  • Korematsu v. United States (1944)
  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
  • Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
  • Loving v. Virginia (1967)
  • Furman v. Georgia (1972)
  • Roe v. Wade (1973)
  • Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
  • District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)
  • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
  • You may find information about the cases at Justia: https://supreme.justia.com/

Films

  • Adam’s Rib (1949)
  • Twelve Angry Men (1957)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
  • Philadelphia (1993)
  • Dead Man Walking (1995)
  • Erin Brockovich (1999)
  • Bowling for Columbine (2002), documentary
  • Runaway Jury (2003)
  • 13th (2016), documentary
  • RBC (2018), documentary

TV

  • Orange Is the New Black (Netflix, 2013-2019)
  • Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015-)
  • Making a Murderer (Netflix, 2015)
  • The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX, 2016)
  • The Night Of (HBO, 2016)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • Why is the USA often described as a rights culture? What three factors are cited in the text to account for this? How does this help explain the reputation Americans have for being quick to take legal action?
  • How does a case end up in the federal Supreme Court? Describe the process of legal appeal by examining a major Supreme Court case such as Citizens United v. FEC, Brown v. Board of Education, or Roe v. Wade.
  • Explain the opposing positions on gun control and the death penalty. How does each side frame its argument with reference to the Constitution? What action has the Supreme Court taken on these issues and why?
  • How did Britain influence the modern American legal system? What evidence of this do you detect in the contemporary legal system?
  • How has the independent judiciary been strengthened over the years? Cite specific turning points and explain their significance.

Chapter 10: The Economy

Chapter Resources

Magazines and newspapers

Books, nonfiction

  • Jacqueline Jones, American Work: Four Centuries of Black and White Labor, 1999
  • Alice Kessler-Harris, Out to Work: A History of Wage-Earning Women in the United States, 20th Anniversary Edition, 2003.
  • Bethany Moreton, To Serve God and Walmart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise, 2010
  • J. D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, 2016

Articles, blogs, podcasts, and websites

Novels

  • Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby(1925)
  • John Steinbeck,The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
  • Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged (1957)
  • Ursula Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974)

 

Key legislation on business and labor

  • Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)
  • National Labor Relations Act (1935)
  • Social Security Act (1935)
  • Taft–Hartley Act (1947)
  • The National Environmental Policy Act (1970)
  • The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009)
  • Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (2020)
  • You may find information about them through the National Archives: https://catalog.archives.gov/

Films

  • Modern Times (1936)
  • The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
  • Wall Street (1987)
  • Trader (1987), documentary
  • Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
  • Boiler Room (2000)
  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005), documentary
  • Wall Street Warriors (2006)
  • The Last Days of Lehmann Brothers (2009)
  • The Usual Suspect: Capitalism: A Love Story (2009), documentary
  • We All Fall Down: The American Mortgage Crisis (2009), documentary
  • Inside Job (2010), documentary
  • Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
  • Too Big to Fail (2012)
  • Inequality for All (2013), documentary
  • The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
  • The Founder (2016)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • What is globalization? Using this concept, explain how American engagement with global economy has changed over the centuries and why?
  • How and why have American fiscal policies changed since the early 1900s? Consider regulation and deregulation, Big Business and monopolies, anti-trust laws, , and Wall Street and the banking sector.
  • How did the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 impact the American economy and ordinary Americans, and did it impact all Americans equally?  To what extent had the economy and people’s livelihoods recovered by the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic?
  • Explain the economic causes and consequences of the Civil War. Who do you think came out ahead and why?
  • How do you think the Democrats and Republicans differ in their approach to the economy? Cite specific examples to support your argument.

Chapter 11: Social Services

Chapter Resources

Government offices

Books

  • Michael Harrington, The Other America: Poverty in the United States, Simon & Schuster, 1962.
  • Jonathan Kozol, Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, Three Rivers oress, 1987.
  • Douglass Massey and Nancy Denton. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass, rev. ed., Harvard University Press, 1994.
  • T. Skocpol, Social Policy in the United States: Future Possibilities in Historical Perspective, Princeton University Press, 1995
  • Regina Kunzel, Fallen Women, Problem Girls: Unmarried Mothers and the Professionalization of Social Work, 1890-1945, Yale University Press, 2009
  • John A. Andrew III, Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society, Rowman and Littlefield, 1999
  • Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Metropolitan Books, 2001.
  • Paul Starr, The Social Tranformation of American Medicine: The Rise Of A Sovereign Profession And The Making Of A Vast Industry, rev. ed, Basic Books, 2017.

 

Articles and websites

Key legislation on healthcare and social welfare

  • Social Security Act (1935)
  • Economic Opportunity Act (1964)
  • Appalachian Regional Development Act (1965)
  • Social Security Act (1965)
  • Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996)
  • Affordable Care Act (2010)
  • The CARES Act (2020)
  • You may find information about them through the National Archives: https://catalog.archives.gov/

Films

  • The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
  • The Rainmaker (1997)
  • The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
  • Sicko (2007)
  • Winter's Bone (2010)
  • Where is Kyra? (2018)
  • The Disability Trap (2018)
  • Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
  • Nomadland (2020)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • Describe American attitudes toward Social Security and welfare programs. How have these programs changed over the years and why? Support your argument with a discussion specific programs and initiatives.
  • Based on your understanding of American ideals, medical services, and legal culture, explain why American patients engage in medical lawsuits.
  • What steps has the U.S. taken since the New Deal to address poverty and suffering? Do you think these measures have been successful? Why or why not?
  • Citing specific examples, compare and contrast Republican and Democrat approaches to social services and welfare. How have these changed over time?
  • How did the financial crisis of 2007-2008 impact American home ownership? What steps have been taken to address the homelessness problem in the country and provide affordable housing to low income people and their families?

Chapter 12: Education

Chapter Resources

Departments of Education

  • US Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/
  • For links to individual state departments, see:  https://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html

Magazines and rankings

  • Chronicle of Higher Education:  https://www.chronicle.com/ 
  • US News Best Colleges Rankings: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges

Education organizations

Key Supreme Court cases

  • Brown v. Board of Education
  • Regents of Univ. of California v. Bakke
  • You may find information about the rulings at Justia: https://supreme.justia.com/

Key education acts

  • Land-Grant College Act (1862)
  • National Defense Education Act (1958)
  • Elementary and Secondary Educational Act (1965)
  • Higher Education Act (1965)
  • No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
  • Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)
  • You may find information about them through the National Archives: https://catalog.archives.gov/

Articles, websites, and blogs

 

Books

Films

  • Blackboard Jungle (1955)
  • Inherit the Wind (1960)
  • To Sir with Love (1967)
  • The Breakfast Club (1985)
  • Stand and Deliver (1988)
  • Dangerous Minds (1995)
  • The Hobart Shakespeareans (2005), documentary
  • American Teen (2008), documentary
  • Won’t Back Down (2012)
  • Rich Hill (2014)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • To what extent is American education marked by meritocracy?
  • What is affirmative action? What arguments are made for and against it and by whom?
  • American public education is organized in Local Education Districts (LEDs) governed by state boards of education, but there is also a federal element to the public school system. Discuss the tensions between local, state, and federal government in shaping public schools.
  • Why is school choice for American parents and children? Explain its history and relate the question of choice to bussing, desegregation, magnet schools, charter schools, and homeschooling. What arguments have been made for and against each of these?
  • What was the Morrill Act and why is it important in the history of American education? Choose a land-grant university and a private university and compare and contrast their admissions policies, student demographics and course offerings. What patterns do you detect and how do you account for them?

Chapter 13: The Media

Chapter Resources

Awards and journalism organizations

Newspapers

  • The New York Times: http://nytimes.com/
  • The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/
  • The Los Angeles Times: http://latimes.com/
  • The Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
  • Wall Street Journal:www.wsj.com

Radio and TV news

  • NPR News: http://www.npr.org/sections/news/
  • PBS Newshour: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/
  • Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/
  • ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/
  • CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/
  • CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/

News aggregators

  • Huffington Post (US): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/?country=US
  • Buzzfeed News: https://www.buzzfeed.com/news

 

Historical magazines and newspapers

Articles, blogs, and websites:

 

Films

  • Citizen Kane (1941)
  • All the President’s Men (1976)
  • Absence of Malice (1981)
  • Shattered Glass (2003)
  • The Pentagon Papers (2003)
  • Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
  • Frost/Nixon (2008)
  • Nothing But the Truth (2008)
  • The Social Network (2010)
  • Spotlight (2015)
  • The Post (2017)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • What was the significance of Watergate and the publication of the Pentagon Papers for the role of the media in American society?
  • How has the internet changed media consumption in the USA? Do you think this is good or bad and why? Be sure to cite specific examples in defending your position.
  • What is the “Fourth Estate”? How do you think newspaper chains and media conglomerates have helped or damaged the role journalism has to play in a democracy?
  • What role did local newspapers play in early America and how has the role of local media changed since them?
  • How did President Trump interact with the media during his campaigning and time in office? What were his preferred media and why? How has this influenced Americans’ perceptions of and trust in the media?

Chapter 14: Arts, Sports, and Leisure Cultures

Chapter Resources

Museums

Music chart

Pop culture festivals

Sports

Literature associations and magazines

Libraries and archives

Books, articles, websites, and blogs:

Films

  • Gone With the Wind (1939)
  • Singing in the Rain (1952)
  • Some Like it Hot (1959)
  • Deliverance (1972)
  • The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
  • American Graffiti (1973)
  • The Sting (1973)
  • A Star is Born (1954)
  • Sunset Boulevard (1950)
  • The Hustler (1961)
  • Last Picture Show (1971)
  • Cabaret (1972)
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
  • The Last Tycoon (1976)
  • All that Jazz (1979)
  • Raging Bull (1980)
  • Field of Dreams (1989)
  • The Big Picture (1989)
  • Chaplin (1992)
  • The Player (1992)
  • Jerry Maguire (1996)
  • Howard Hawks: American Artist (1997)
  • Frida (2002)
  • Friday Night Lights (2004)
  • The Fighter (2010)
  • Black Swan (2010)
  • Moneyball (2011)
  • Concussion (2015)

Flashcards

Quiz

Discussion Questions

  • Based on what you know of American society from the rest of this book, discuss how sports and health are related to class and economy.
  • How are the arts funded in the U.S.? Compare and contrast this to how professional sports are funded. How do you account for the patterns detected?
  • Discuss how different musical genres reflect race and class in America. Cite specific examples to support your argument.
  • Consider the list of all-time best films and the list of top grossing films in 2014. What does this tell you about changing tastes? What does this tell you about the relationship between perceived quality and profitability?
  • What positive and negative impacts have television and the internet had on the arts, sports and recreation, and leisure reading?