AMST 30161 - The Millionaire in American Literature and Culture

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

Few figures in American history have so defined the nation as the millionaire. For good or bad, the millionaire has been an object of equally intense scrutiny and fascination. This course will examine the role of the millionaire from several disciplinary perspectives. In the fiction of writers such as Wharton, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and DeLillo the millionaire is an object of envy, intrigue, fear, and even contempt. In looking at the millionaire historically, we will devote special attention to the Gilded Age with its "robber barons" such as Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, and John D. Rockefeller; figures whose industry, dedication to the making of money, and greed also fueled the establishment of vast charitable enterprises that helped define American culture. With A.G. Gaston's biography, Black Titan, we will look at the complex and historically unequal relationship between race and wealth attainment in American culture. In politics, we will pay special attention to Theodore Roosevelt who harbored a deep suspicion of inherited wealth and questioned whether or not the "virtuous republic" could sustain the presence and efforts of so many men of "inherited wealth." In contemporary society, we will try to understand how the celebrity millionaire - i.e., Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Ivan Boesky, Martha Stewart, and the Wall Street/ Hedge Fund Manager millionaire--has become a celebrated (and now vilified) cultural icon. And finally, we'll examine the current credit crisis in the context of America's love of money, conspicuous consumption, and belief that anyone can become a millionaire. Students will write a series of short papers, a longer research paper, make class presentations, and take a final exam.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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