I thought the Harraway reading was an excellent choice for an introductory cultural studies reading. While it might not have seemed too integral to the course in terms of exam content, it laid out a useful methodology for interrogating museums and other spaces which construct narratives of the past.
One of the most important things I learned in the readings for February, however, were from "A Chance to Make Good" and "To Die For." Never before had I known so much about the experiences and struggles of African Americans in this time period. In high school we just received some minimal information about sharecropping and Jim Crow, without learning about many of the details.
On the other hand, one thing I had no idea about were the large-scale Americanization movements which were mobilized at the turn of the century. I especially did not realize how much pull ex-Confederates had over legislation and, literally, the words that went into History textbooks. Within this framework of compromise, the ending of slavery takes on a new context -- it did not change American culture as radically or quickly as one might assume. The result was decades of virtually no progress made in advancing civil liberties and the continued oppression of minorities. I hadn't realized this stagnation was in service of the reconciliation effort.
Especially important were quotes from actual people who lived during that time. Perhaps that's one of the great strengths of this course; we get a wealth of personal voices coming from many different backgrounds and time periods. It's much more illuminating and interesting than reading one book which claims to tell you all you need to know about America. Between the essays, photographs, songs and films, the curriculum for this class really excelled at capturing multi-faceted cultural perspectives.
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