How is identity constructed and presented? An American flag hanging from the front porch? An "I love the U.S.A" bumper sticker at the back of the car? Thanksgiving plays in elementary schools? Nationwide crusades against universal healthcare? The mission to bring democracy to the world? These and countless other elements make up the daily face of American identity. While John F. Kennedy spoke of "the edge of a New Frontier" (Inaugural Address 1961) on which he saw the United States in the 1960s and Ronald Reagan summoned the American nation as the "Shining City upon a Hill" (Farewell Address 1989) in the 1980s, George W. Bush declared in 2001 that "our nation is chosen by God and commissioned by history to be a model to the world" (qtd. in Duncan 104) and Barack Obama assured voters in 2008 that "in no other country on Earth is my story even possible" (Philadelphia Speech 2008). In order to understand American identity and culture it is necessary to get an idea of the most basic concepts and constructs underlying it. From Winthrop's understanding of the American nation as God's chosen people, to the Frontier, the Manifest Destiny, the American Dream and the idea of the Melting Pot, this course aims at introducing, contextualizing, and understanding the most fundamental ingredients of America’s self-understanding. From The Great Gatsby and Easy Rider to pop-cultural phenomena such as The Simpsons and South Park, from the engagement in the Second World War to public reactions to 9/11, from the civics test and discussions over a flag desecration amendment, to the war in Iraq and the Tea Party movement – all these phenomena and events are deeply rooted in long evolving identity constructions. In 1759, seventeen years before Americans would declare themselves independent, Hector St. John De Crevecoeur asked "What then is this American, this new man?" (De Crevecoeur 244). In the course of this seminar we will approach this question from different angles and try to answer it with regard to past and current developments.

Workload:
regular attendance, oral presentation, active in-class participation, seminar paper, weekly responses

Texts:
selected documents (e.g. speeches, newspaper and magazine articles, images, etc.) will be made available in the course or on Stud.IP

Works Cited:
Duncan, Ann and Steven Jones. Church-State Issues in America Today: Religion and Government. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2008. Print.

De Crevecoeur, Hector St. John. Letters From an American Farmer. Ed. Susan Manning. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.

Obama, Barack. “Philadelphia Speech.” 17 Jan. 2009. New York Times. < http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/us/politics/17text-obama.html> (18 Jul. 2011)

Kennedy, John. F. “Inaugural Address.” Washington, 20 Jan. 1961. American Rhetoric – Online Speech Bank. < http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm> (19. Jul 2011)

Reagan Ronald. „Farewell Address.“ Washington, 11 Jan. 1989. The American Presidency Project. < http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29650#axzz1UpuJo1uQ> (19 Jul. 2011)

Shipp, E.R. “God Spell Religion Talk Is Big On This Year's Campaign Trail, But The Candidates Should Stick To The Real Issues.” New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2000 < http://articles.nydailynews.com/2000-09-24/news/18144896_1_god-jo