The Cultural Politics of the 1980s
In this seminar, we will investigate cultural formations in the United States during the 1980s through a critical examination of fiction, music, television, art, and film. We will connect texts produced during and about the period with social, political, and economic transformations that began with the so-called “Reagan Revolution.” We will analyze social issues concerning race, class, gender, and sexuality through a variety of topics, including the Culture Wars, globalization and outsourcing, the ascendance of Wall Street, the rise of AIDS, attacks on the welfare state, the emergence of hip hop, and the Drug Wars. 3 hrs. sem.