Category: america

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“What is an American?”: Early American Literature Course Syllabus

It has been a few years since I have taught an American literature course from colonialism to 1865. This semester, I am doing just that, and I am again thinking about the ways that I structure this course. I have always organized this course, and others, around conversations, taking Kenneth Burke’s “parlor metaphor” to heart that conversations continue onwards, ceaselessly, even when participants leave. … Read More “What is an American?”: Early American Literature Course Syllabus

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“This is an us problem!”: We Must Recognize Ourselves to Move Forward

Last week, during Donald Trump’s Joint Address to Congress, I noticed, for the first time, the fasces on each side of the podium. The fasces is an ancient symbol dating back to he Etruscans and Rome. Fasces consists of a bound bundle of rods and an axe. You can find fasces, just like swastikas, in various places. When walking around Washington D.C., you can … Read More “This is an us problem!”: We Must Recognize Ourselves to Move Forward