This course examines the historical development of cultural policy in the United States, especially in relation to the practical problem of achieving cultural equity within the public and private institutions of a multi-cultural political democracy. Special attention is paid to the cultural dynamics of certain periods and to interactions between the cultural systems and characteristics of various racial and ethnic groups, of cultural areas and regions and of occupational groups and socio-economic classes. Illustrative cultural materials embrace the graphic and plastic arts, dance, music, literature and various segments of popular culture. Analytical perspectives draw upon the disciplines of anthropology, cultural geography, folklore, history and linguistics.

An interdisciplinary examination of the nature and varieties of community in American culture, past and present, focusing upon the analytical conceptions of community as place, social structure and culture. The course will consider classic and contemporary literature of community studies, including perspectives from sociology and anthropology, social and cultural history, social psychology, creative writing and related interdisciplinary fields. Students will apply concepts from the course to the study of a particular local community, developing specific research skills through the investigation of its historical and contemporary character.