AIP 303 Deconstructing the American Family (CP, UP)
In this course, we will explore the cultural and ideological function of the “American family.” Why does the family occupy such a privileged place in American society? What role does the discourse of “traditional family values” play in debates about gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality? Is there such a thing as a “traditional American family?” If so, what is it? If not, how and why has it attained mythic status in our society? In answering these questions, we will engage with contemporary social theory to understand the history and social significance of the family and we will also study a number of films and literary texts that look behind the façade of the “American family” and, in doing so, expose the political and ideological function that it has served for generations.