AMST 2440- Midterm Exam Guide - Comprehensive Notes for the exam ( 40 pages long!)

• School: GWU
• Department: American Studies
• Course: AMST 2440
• Professor: Suliman Osman

Document Summary

Suburbia: american utopia or american dystopia: i(cid:374) tv a(cid:374)d fil(cid:373), post(cid:449)a(cid:396) su(cid:271)u(cid:396)(cid:271)ia depi(cid:272)ted eithe(cid:396) as utopia o(cid:396) d(cid:455)stopia. Historians debate about the extent of several shifts: Was it predominately a (cid:858)su(cid:271)u(cid:396)(cid:271)a(cid:374) e(cid:454)odus(cid:859) o(cid:396) (cid:858)(cid:449)hite flight(cid:859)?) (cid:862)i(cid:859)(cid:373) a ho(cid:373)eo(cid:449)(cid:374)e(cid:396)(cid:863) Class identity based on work ------------------------------- (cid:862)ho(cid:373)e o(cid:449)(cid:374)e(cid:396)(cid:863) ide(cid:374)tit(cid:455) (cid:862)i(cid:859)(cid:373) a u(cid:374)io(cid:374) (cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:863) Public space, street life ------------------ private space (house, car, shopping mall, etc) Male and female workers -------------------- male (cid:271)(cid:396)ead(cid:449)i(cid:374)(cid:374)e(cid:396) a(cid:374)d (cid:862)house(cid:449)ife. (cid:863) Mom and pop shops, downtown ------------- suburban mall, regional shopping. The evolution of a debate: early depictions of postwar suburbia were celebratory, magazi(cid:374)e ads early tv shows -- ozzie and harriet and leave it to. Beaver: technological wizardry + pastoral green space, (cid:862)a(cid:373)e(cid:396)i(cid:272)a(cid:374) d(cid:396)ea(cid:373)(cid:863) -- upward mobility, end of class conflict (cid:862)kit(cid:272)he(cid:374) de(cid:271)ate. (cid:863) Willia(cid:373) le(cid:448)itt(cid:859)s fa(cid:373)ous (cid:395)uote: mid 1950s early suburban critique, a(cid:272)ade(cid:373)i(cid:272)s, (cid:374)o(cid:448)elists, ex: wilson, the man in the gray flannel suit. Whyte, organization man: fo(cid:272)us o(cid:374) middle-class suburbanites themselves.