The aim of this course is to take American Studies beyond the college campus and put its insights and theoretical concerns to practical use. How, for example, can different definitions of American-ness affect the way we retrain displaced workers for our new service and information based economy? How do the contours of ethnicity in America influence the success of "diversity" workshops in schools? How do American conceptions of "wilderness" and "progress" affect local controversies over land use? How do the "culture of the mind" and the "culture of the hands" shape the way an institution like MassMOCA settles into a working people's community like North Adams? We will explore such issues through a hands-on experience in community development here in Northern Berkshire County. Our community development project varies annually, but students should emerge from the course able to apply their classroom learning to the concrete realities of community development work, as well as with set of methodological skills (such as participant observation, interviewing, and interpreting census data), and planning tools (program design and evaluation) relevant in community development and public policy settings. Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week off campus. Requirements: bi-weekly lab assignments and two papers. Prerequisite: American Studies 201 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 12.

Hour: BACON