FYS545

What is New England? It seems easy to point to the territory on a map, but it is more than geography - it is an imagined region defined by politicians, cultural elites, marketing strategists, among others. How has the construction of New England changed? Who and what has been included and excluded? How does New England differ from other imagined regions, particularly the American West? Students analyze historical scholarship, fiction, and film to address these questions. Most significantly, though, this course uses a unique lens to explore the meaning of New England: the Wyeths (N.C., Andrew, and Jamie), the most influential family of American painters in the twentieth century. What did their New England look like? Throughout the course, visiting scholar (and Bates alumna) Victoria Browning Wyeth helps address this question. Students work with primary source material, including paintings, to produce essays, make presentations, and produce a peer-reviewed research paper.