American Culture (AMCULT) 103 Latino American Studies (LatinoAm) 103 Car Culture William Calvo-Quiros What can we learn from the evolution of cars in the United States? What can cars tell us about the American experience, their anxieties, and changes in demographics? Why people love and hate cars? How gender, class, citizenship and religion are deeply connected to the cars we have? How cars are designed and constructed? What do Lowriders, Monster Cars, and Hot Rods have in common? What is the most popular color in cars today? Is car culture dying in America? What is the car of the future? This class will analyze and study the history and evolution of cars and car cultures in the United States and in Michigan particularly. It will use and intersect issues of gender, class, race, and historicity as points of departure to understand the unique relationship the people in America, (and the nation) have with cars. Topics discussed in class will include: The process of car design and car production Car customization subcultures Gender and women in cars The evolution, emergence and decline of motor cities such as Detroit, and the emergence of suburbia The politics of mass transportation and electric cars RVs, trucks, racing cars, and collection cars The evolution of driverless cars (e.g., Google car) Latina/os and cars The politics of Freeways design Class materials and activities will include visits to car factories, car museums, and car shows, as well as reading and analyzing academic essays, novels, narratives, documentary films, and a autobiographical/ethnographic writing assignment. Segments from these books will discussed in class: Daniel Miller, Car Cultures Rudi Volti, Car and Culture: The Life Story of a Technology Jonathan Glancey, The Car: History of the Automobile Richard Hammond, Car Science Douglas G. Brinkley, Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress Micheline Maynard, The End of Detroit: How the Big Three Lost Their Grip on the American Car Market Paul Ingrassia, Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars