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Courses - Fall 2025
AMST
American Studies Department Site
Open Seats as of
03/29/2025 at 10:30 PM
AMST498C
Special Topics in American Studies; Central Americans and the United States: Culture, Politics, and Community
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg
Cross-listed with USLT450. Credit only granted for AMST498C or USLT450.

With attention to history, memory, politics, and culture, this course examines the relationships, conflicts, and exchanges of people and powerbetween the United States and the Central American isthmus. We will investigate the role of the US government and military, as well as US corporate interests and US-backed dictatorships, in the culture, politics, and economy of nations including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. Through literature, feature films, documentary films, theatre,poetry, and other mediums, the class will analyze responses to this history in Central American cultural productions originating both from the isthmus and from Central Americans living in the United States.In addition to US interventions in the Americas, the course will examinemigration from Central America to North America and will concludeby exploring thelives and activities of Central Americans living in the USA.