Jeroen Dewulf - Dutch Studies 171AC: Race, Culture, and Identity in New Netherland
Created as an AC course in 2011, Dutch Studies 171AC aims to break from the traditional perspective of the foundation of the United States and consider the cultural and multilingual diversity present present during the nations origin. The course uses multiple languages and perspectives in its analysis of history and asks students to reflect on unequal power relations in the narration of history and how the Anglo-Saxon perspective and language grew into its dominant position. By including materials originally written in languages other than English, a cultural complexity is created that breaks from the traditional understanding of the U.S. as monolingual and encourages a transnational and multi-lingual approach to American culture.