America Through Foreign Eyes

About this course: The United States has always been a source of fascination — both attraction and repulsion — for the people of France, Mexico, China, and African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Sudan. "America Through Foreign Eyes" is a rich, interdisciplinary, international course that features Rice University faculty from a variety of disciplines and area studies. Focused on perceptions of America abroad, the course is a cross between World Cultures and American Studies. The course features four modules, each covering the perceptions and interactions of particular regions with America, Americans and Americanization.

Created by:  Rice University

• Taught by:  Dr. Anne S. Chao, Lecturer

  Rice University

• Taught by:  Dr. Julie Fette, Associate Professor

  Rice University

• Taught by:  Dr. Jeffrey Fleisher, Associate Professor

  Rice University

• Taught by:  Dr. Moramay López-Alonso, Associate Professor

  Rice University

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Syllabus


WEEK 1


Introduction



The United States has always been a source of fascination— both attraction and repulsion — for the people of France, Mexico, China, and African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Sudan. America Through Foreign Eyes is a rich, interdisciplinary, international course that features Rice faculty from a variety of disciplines and area studies. Focused on perceptions of America abroad, the course is a cross between World Cultures and American Studies. The course features four modules, each covering the perceptions and interactions of particular regions with America, Americans and Americanization.


4 videos, 4 readings expand

1. Video: Course Trailer
2. Reading: Welcome Survey (complete before beginning course)
3. Reading: How To Complete This Course
4. Discussion Prompt: Introduction Discussion #1
5. Video: Chapter 1: America through Foreign Eyes: Introduction to Course
6. Video: Chapter 2: Perceptions of Other Cultures: Generalizations, Essentialisms, and Stereotypes
7. Video: Chapter 3: Student Approaches and Course Material
8. Discussion Prompt: Introduction Discussion #2
9. Reading: Chapter 1, 2, 3: Further Explorations
10. Reading: Introduction Bibliography

Graded: Introduction

America through African Eyes



The United States has always been a source of fascination for Africans. African observers and travelers are rarely indifferent to American culture and people. This module, “America Through African Eyes,” examines historical and contemporary perceptions of America, Americans, and Americanization through the lens of African writers, politicians, intellectuals, refugees, and local citizens. Taught by Dr. Jeffrey Fleisher, a professor of Archeology, this module will cover the four themes of the course: Democracy and Modernity; Globalization and Capitalism; Racism and Immigration; and Intellectual and Cultural Life.


8 videos, 9 readings, 2 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Chapter 1: Introduction: America Through African Eyes
2. Video: Chapter 2: Africans Appropriating Americans: Elvis and the Chewa of Malawi
3. Reading: Chapter 2: Further Explorations
4. Video: Chapter 3: Africans Appropriating Americans: Tupac Shakur in Sierra Leone
5. Reading: Chapter 3: Further Explorations
6. Practice Quiz: Africa - Check for Understanding 1
7. Video: Chapter 4: Africans in America: America through Enslaved Peoples' Eyes
8. Reading: Chapter 4: Selections from the Narratives of Captured Slaves
9. Reading: Chapter 4: Further Explorations
10. Video: Chapter 5: Africans in America: Sudanese Refugees in America: Navigating America in the Twentieth Century
11. Discussion Prompt: Africa Discussion #1
12. Reading: Chapter 5: Further Explorations
13. Video: Chapter 6: Africans in America: Africans and Race in America
14. Reading: Chapter 6: Further Explorations
15. Practice Quiz: Africa - Check for Understanding 2
16. Video: Chapter 7: African-Americans and Africans in Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah, American Civil Rights, and Ghanaian Independence
17. Reading: Chapter 7: Further Explorations
18. Video: Chapter 8: African-Americans and Africans in Ghana: Slave Tourism: How West Africans see African-American Tourists
19. Reading: Chapter 8: Further Explorations
20. Discussion Prompt: Africa Discussion #2
21. Reading: Africa Bibliography

Graded: America through African Eyes

WEEK 2


America Through Chinese Eyes



The United States has always been a source of fascination for the people of China. Chinese observers and travelers are rarely indifferent to American culture and people. This module, “America Through Chinese Eyes,” examines historical and contemporary perceptions of America, Americans, and Americanization through the lens of Chinese writers, artists, politicians, intellectuals, and public opinion. Taught by Dr. Anne Chao, a professor of History, this module will cover the four themes of the course: Democracy and Modernity; Globalization and Capitalism; Racism and Immigration; and Intellectual and Cultural Life.


14 videos, 10 readings, 2 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Chapter 1: Introduction to the Chinese Cultural System
2. Reading: Chapter 1: Further Explorations
3. Video: Chapter 2: First Contact with America and the West
4. Reading: Chapter 2: Further Explorations
5. Video: Chapter 3: China's Entry Into the World: Opium, the Unequal Treaties and the Exclusion Act
6. Reading: Chapter 3: Further Explorations
7. Practice Quiz: China - Check for Understanding 1
8. Video: Chapter 4: From Reform to Revolution
9. Reading: Chapter 4: Further Explorations
10. Video: Chapter 5: The New Culture Movement
11. Discussion Prompt: China Discussion #1
12. Reading: Chapter 5: Further Explorations
13. Video: Chapter 6: Madame Chiang Kaishek: A Study in Chinese and American Interactions in the Republican Era
14. Reading: Chapter 6: Further Explorations
15. Practice Quiz: China - Check for Understanding 2
16. Video: Chapter 7: America as Enemy and as Friend: The Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution and the Ping-Pong Diplomacy
17. Reading: Chapter 7: Further Explorations
18. Video: Chapter 8: China's Re-Entry into the World
19. Reading: Chapter 8: Further Explorations
20. Video: Chapter 9: Taiwan and Hong Kong
21. Reading: Chapter 9: Further Explorations
22. Video: Chapter 10: Voices from China and Taiwan
23. Discussion Prompt: China Discussion #2
24. Reading: China Bibliography
25. Video: Chen Lei, December 7, 2014, Interviewed by Dr. Anne Chao
26. Video: Feng Yu, December 7, 2014, Interviewed by Dr. Anne Chao
27. Video: Jorge Liu, August 17, 2014, Interviewed by Dr. Anne Chao
28. Video: Li Zhonggui, August 13, 2014, Interviewed by Dr. Anne Chao

Graded: America through Chinese Eyes

WEEK 3


America Through French Eyes



The United States has always been a source of fascination for the people of France. French observers and travelers are rarely indifferent to American culture and people. This module, “America Through French Eyes,” examines historical and contemporary perceptions of America, Americans, and Americanization through the lens of French writers, artists, politicians, intellectuals, and public opinion. Taught by Dr. Julie Fette, a professor of French Studies, this module will cover the four themes of the course: Democracy and Modernity; Globalization and Capitalism; Racism and Immigration; and Intellectual and Cultural Life.


15 videos, 11 readings, 2 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Chapter 1: France and America: Friend and Foe
2. Reading: Chapter 1: Further Explorations
3. Video: Chapter 2: America: Land of Democracy
4. Reading: Chapter 2: Further Explorations
5. Video: Chapter 3: America = Modernity
6. Reading: Chapter 3: Further Explorations
7. Practice Quiz: France - Check for Understanding 1
8. Video: Chapter 4: American Capitalism: Mass Production, Mass Consumption, and Inequality
9. Reading: Chapter 4: Further Explorations
10. Video: Chapter 5: Globalization and the Cultural Exception
11. Discussion Prompt: France Discussion #1
12. Reading: Chapter 5: Further Explorations
13. Video: Chapter 6: Racism and Xenophobia in the United States and France
14. Reading: Chapter 6: Further Explorations
15. Practice Quiz: France - Check for Understanding 2
16. Video: Chapter 7: Religion and Secularism
17. Reading: Chapter 7: Further Explorations
18. Video: Chapter 8: Franco-American Cultural Exchange: Art, Artists, and Art Patrons
19. Reading: Chapter 8: Further Explorations
20. Video: Chapter 9: Intellectual Life: The American University
21. Video: Chapter 9: Simone de Beauvoir at Rice, by Melissa Kean
22. Reading: Chapter 9: Further Explorations
23. Video: Chapter 10: America as Hyperreality
24. Reading: Chapter 10: Further Explorations
25. Discussion Prompt: France Discussion #2
26. Reading: France Bibliography
27. Video: Marie Darrieussecq, May 20, 2015, Interviewed by Dr. Julie Fette
28. Video: Eric Fassin, May 19, 2015, Interviewed by Dr. Julie Fette
29. Video: Fabrice l, May 22, 2015, Interviewed by Dr. Julie Fette
30. Video: Jean-Loup Chrétien, December 7, 2016, Interviewed by Dr. Julie Fette

Graded: America through French Eyes

WEEK 4


America Through Mexican Eyes



The United States has always been a source of fascination for the people of Mexico. Mexican observers and travelers are rarely indifferent to American culture and people. This module, “ America Through Mexican Eyes,” examines historical and contemporary perceptions of America, Americans, and Americanization through the lens of Mexican writers, artists, politicians, intellectuals, and public opinion. Taught by Dr. Moramay López-Alonso, a professor of History, this module will cover the four themes of the course: Democracy and Modernity; Globalization and Capitalism; Racism and Immigration; and Intellectual and Cultural Life.


10 videos, 11 readings, 2 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Chapter 1: America through Mexican Eyes: Inseparable Histories
2. Reading: Chapter 1: Further Explorations
3. Video: Chapter 2: The Gringo, Yankee, and American
4. Reading: Chapter 2: Further Explorations
5. Video: Chapter 3: Immigration
6. Reading: Chapter 3: Further Explorations
7. Practice Quiz: Mexico - Check for Understanding 1
8. Video: Chapter 4: Racism
9. Reading: Chapter 4: Further Explorations
10. Video: Chapter 5: Religion
11. Discussion Prompt: Mexico Discussion #1
12. Reading: Chapter 5: Further Explorations
13. Video: Chapter 6: Temples of Knowledge: Education, Universities and Libraries
14. Reading: Chapter 6: Further Explorations
15. Practice Quiz: Mexico - Check for Understanding 2
16. Video: Chapter 7: Food
17. Reading: Chapter 7: Further Explorations
18. Video: Chapter 8: American Women
19. Reading: Chapter 8: Further Explorations
20. Video: Chapter 9: Capitalism and Modernity
21. Reading: Chapter 9: Further Explorations
22. Video: Chapter 10: Democracy and Empire
23. Reading: Chapter 10: Further Explorations
24. Discussion Prompt: Mexico Discussion #2
25. Reading: Mexico Bibliography

Graded: America through Mexican Eyes

Reversing the Gaze



This course has explored how the United States has been a source of fascination for African, Chinese, French, and Mexican people. What happens when we “reverse the gaze?” This module examines historical and contemporary perceptions of Africa, China, France, and Mexico through American eyes. Join all four instructors for informal conversations over a meal at various Houston restaurants about American perceptions of the world.


6 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Chapter 1: Reversing the Gaze: Africa through American Eyes
2. Video: Chapter 2: Reversing the Gaze: China through American Eyes
3. Video: Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Fung
4. Video: Chapter 3: Reversing the Gaze: France through American Eyes
5. Video: Chapter 4: Reversing the Gaze: Mexico through American Eyes
6. Discussion Prompt: Reversing the Gaze Discussion #1
7. Discussion Prompt: Reversing the Gaze Discussion #2
8. Discussion Prompt: Reversing the Gaze Discussion #3
9. Video: Rice Students Discuss America Through Foreign Eyes
10. Reading: End-of-Course Survey (complete after finishing the course)