AMS 2341 Reading Questions   

Questions for Thurs. 30 Oct.

1.  Roediger argues, "Chattel slavery provided white workers with a touchstone against which to weigh their fears and a yardstick to measure their reassurance" (66).  What does he mean by this?  What were their fears?  What kind of reassurance did they get? 

2.  Roediger repeatedly links the demands and aspirations of artisans, mechanics, and other white workers with Republicanism (or herrenvolk republicanism).  How were the identities of "worker" and "citizen" related?  What kind of working conditions did a man require, in order to meet his obligations to the state?  Why did he think these conditions were necessary?  Could democracy and wage labor coexist?  Why or why not?

3.  Glickman insists that the "American Standard of Living" was related to the health and welfare of the republic.  What WAS the "American Standard of Living," and how was it related to citizenship? 

4.  What was labor's "consumerist turn" (223, 225)?  How did the focus of labor leaders' change during this period (from what to what)?  Why did this transition happen at this particular time (1880-1925)?

5.  Women, black folks, and the Chinese were seen as threats to working-class solidarity and survival.  Why?  How did each place themselves or get placed by others outside the "American Standard of Living." 

6.  Does this debate over wages, living conditions, race and immigration sound familiar to you?  Can you think of contemporary examples that use similar kinds of rhetoric?  Give specific examples. 

Questions for Thurs. 6 Nov.

1.  What is "working ladyhood," and why did it matter (i.e. why did working-class, immigrant women work so hard and spend so much money trying to achieve it?  What did they hope to signify through achieving this status)?

2.  What is a dime novel, and why did so many working-class women buy them?  What role did these cheap stories fulfill in their lives?

3.  Why were fashionable, stylish clothes so important to working women?  What kinds of meanings were attached to dressing well by these women?  What did middle-class reformers think about this interest in fashion?  Why?

4.  Describe the plot of a typical dime-novel romance.  Why would these kinds of stories be interesting and compelling to working women?  Do these stories sound like any contemporary popular narratives?  If so, what narratives?  If not, why not (i.e. how are women's popular narratives different now and why)? 

5.  Why was the use of cosmetics problematic for many women in nineteenth-century America?  What were the criticisms made of cosmetic use? 

6.  What are the three markets for cosmetics?  Where did each emerge from, and how was their historical development different? 

Questions for Tues. 11 Nov.

1.  In chapter one, Charlotte gets a make-over.  What do the new clothes / haircut / makeup do for her?  Does it change her behavior or how she feels?

2.  Charlotte has had a nervous breakdown.  Why?  What clues do we get about the source of her distress?  Give specific examples.

3.  On page 78, Prouty tells us something about Charlotte's reading.  Why?  What are we to conclude about her from the books she reads? 

4.  This is a love story.  What is unconventional about it?  How is it different than a typical romance?

5.  Does this book remind you of any contemporary texts--books, films, tv shows, etc.?  If so, which ones and why?  If not, why not?

Questions for Thurs. 13 Nov.

1.  On page 180, Lisa lists the reasons a woman might get married.  What are they?  Why DOESN'T Charlotte marry Elliot, given all the reasons in his favor?

2.  Dr. Jaquith appears in person near the end of the novel.  What role does he play for Charlotte?  Are we supposed to be sympathetic to him or not?  How do you know?

3.  Is this a "happy ending"?  Why or why not?  Give specific reasons to support your answer. 

4.  Is this a feminist novel?  Is there anything revolutionary about it, or is it really quite conservative in terms of women's opportunities and possibilities?  Be sure and define what you mean by feminism. 

4.  How does this novel compare to the dime novels described by Nan Enstad in Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure?  Give specific examples. 

Questions for Tues. 18 Nov.

1.  Why did/does Michael Jordan stand in for/represent "America" or "American values" both in the U.S. and abroad?

2.  What was the experience of African-American players of basketball from its founding in the 1890s up until Michael Jordan signed to play for the Bulls?  How did race inflect their opportunities and experience of the game?

3.  What are the five characteristics of new multinational corporations from the 1980s?  Why was Nike so successful at this new business model?

4.  What new innovations in communications media occurred in the 1970s-1990s that fueled the rise of global capitalism?  Why/how were these new media beneficial to multinational corporations?

Questions for Thurs. 20 Nov.

1.  The French were especially concerned about "American cultural imperialism."  What does this term mean?  Why were the French more vocal about protesting it than other nations?

2.  Opponents of global capitalism pointed out that mostly black, inner-city children and poorly paid, exploited Asian workers paid the price for the astronomical profits that went to Nike and to Jordan.  What price did each group pay?  How did race inflect who profited and who suffered from global capitalism? 

3.  What's the controversy over black sports heroes as role models for children?  Why do sports seem especially problematic?  Why especially problematic for black kids? 

4.  Is Michael Jordan "black?"  Is Oprah "black?"  Explain why I needed to put these in quotation marks.  What's the difference between being black and being "black," and why do some commentators claim Jordan wasn't "black?"

5.  Why was the 1992 Olympic "dream team" so controversial?  How did nationalism and global capitalism collide?  Who won, and why?

6.  What is "soft power"(109), and how did the U. S. wield it?

Questions for Tues. 25 Nov.

1.  The controversy over wages and working conditions in Nike factories in Asia was inflected by race and gender.  Explain how ideologies about "workers" and the "American Standard" and appropriate roles for women might have inflected our ways or Nike's ways of thinking about workers and a "living wage."

2.  "Is ... soft power a new information-age disguise for age-old imperialism?" (156).  How would you answer this question?  Give specific examples to support your answer. 

3.  What's a "nationalist managerial class?"  What's its role in global capitalism?

4. La Feber argues that the battlefields of the future will revolve around "capital versus culture." (162).  What does he mean by this?  What role might religion play in this?

5.  The majority of people overseas thought that "U. S policies and actions in the world" were responsible for the 9/11 attacks.  Most Americans did not (174).  Why?  What policies and actions seemed esp. problematic?

6.  What does "Holy War, Inc." mean (178)?  How did Osama bin Laden behave like a CEO of a global corporation?

Questions for Tues. 2 Dec.

What are the 2-3 most interesting/important/surprising things you learned this semester?  Why did you choose these?  Why were these the most compelling or memorable? 

Museum Review Paper

Literary Analysis Paper