ASE News & Events Resources

Access both the previous and upcoming events in the American Studies Department. ASE Events Calendar, ASE Commons, and ASE Headlines.

2024

News & Events from 2024

Congratulations to ASE Prof. Ben Carrington on winning the inaugural American Sociological Association, Stuart Hall Award for Cultural Sociology!

Interested in working with Prof. Carrington? Consider taking his Fall 2024 course JOUR 300 Journalism and Society. The class is really about the role of journalism within society and a more Cultural Studies approach to journalism and the study of the media. Students in the course will examine topics such as news propaganda, conspiracy theories, power in the media, racial bias in reporting, truth and objectivity in journalism etc. The course should be of interest to ASE students who perhaps want to take a journalism course but one that is more focused on the social, cultural and political issues that shape journalism as an industry and field rather than learning about “how to be a journalist” per se.
This semester they will be following the US presidential election and how it is reported, as well as looking at how the media has been covering the conflict and war in Palestine/Israel; both topics that are pressing and of interest to ASE students right now.
JOUR 300: Journalism and Society (21084R) 4 Units
Fall 2024 – Tuesday – 2-5.20 p.m.

2023

News & Events from 2023

The Sparks Center named after alum Anthony Sparks and to Dean Anita Dashiell-Sparks

Congratulations to USC ASE Department alum Anthony Sparks and to Dean Anita Dashiell-Sparks of SDA!! Anthony received his PhD in American Studies from USC and has gone on to help transform the landscape of BIPOC representation in television and the arts through his leadership as showrunner for OWN’s QUEEN SUGAR, BEL AIR, among many other high profile projects.
DORINNE KONDO:  It was my honor to chair his dissertation, an ethnographically compelling and incisive analysis of the writers’ room/ tv industry. We had many a lively discussion about theory and its utility or lack thereof. And I was lucky enough to meet his incredible mother.
Brilliant actress and director, Dean Anita Dashiell-Sparks, is always inspirational and brings such elegant grace to her work. Thank you for fostering the artistry of minoritarian students through USC SDA and in your own dazzling artistry!

2022

News & Events from 2022

Kondo published two new episodes in her podcast, “The Art of Racial Reckoning.” To listen, go here.

Quin Anex-Ries’ research examines the historical relationship between technology and sexuality. In this article, Quin explains how anti-porn laws have historically been weaponized against LGBTQ Americans, feminists, and others. You can read the article here.

The Sixties was a time of turmoil and peace, utopian idealism and often-nightmarish brutality. It was a time when love was all ‘you’ needed, yet war was all around. It was the time of the Woodstock Nation and the Silent Majority, communes and the Manson family. It was the time of sex, rock ‘n roll and drugs. It had Hippies and Yippies and Panthers, JFK and Nixon. And fifty years later, we are still trying to make sense of it. This course will examine this tumultuous period with all its contradictions and various movements. We will look at the ‘good’ Sixties and the ‘bad’ Sixties. We will read, watch and study a variety of texts from this messy time in order to gain a richer understanding of what this past has left us. And in the end, all those who have memories of the Sixties yet were never there, might discover that what they recall, what they have been sold by mass media over the years, is not quite adequate to this moment when things seemed so miraculously wonderful and often so profoundly banal.

About the position

The Director of African American Studies is responsible for leading the development, launch, and ongoing management of a new Advanced Placement course which will pilot in a select number of schools in Fall 2022 and launch more broadly in Fall 2023. The Director will serve as the primary point of contact with higher and secondary education subject-matter experts who will serve as core stakeholders in the development of AP African American Studies. The Director will work closely with higher and secondary education committees and a diverse set of advisors to define a curriculum and exam consistent with those offered in first-year higher education courses.

Contact Us

Department of American Studies & Ethnicity

Located in Kaprielian Hall on the University Park campus, ASE faculty, graduate students, and staff are available to assist you with information and resources about our academic programs and research specialties.

Address

University of Southern California

3620 South Vermont Avenue

Kaprielian Hall 462

Los Angeles, California 90089-2534