Chicago: Texts and Contexts

The subject of this course is Chicago. We will study America's so-called "Second City" with an eye to its history and its cultural, political, and economic significance in the development of an "American" ideology and identity. Building on that foundation, we will examine representations of the city across the 20th and 21st centuries comprising a range of media including literature, visual art, film, and television. Looking at work by "outsiders" and "insiders," we will consider the complicated relationship between the actual place and the mythos that has grown up around it. 3 hrs. Lect.