What are the myths put forth about life in the U.S., and what are the realities? Who counts as “American”? Is the “American Dream” just that—a dream? In this course, we will examine works that address the multiple meanings and uses of the term “American” as applied to—or kept from—individuals and groups throughout the history of the United States. Focusing on what it has meant to be (or not to be) an American at different points in time, this course will explore how people have experienced life within this country’s borders given their diverse identities and given the political, economic, and social climates surrounding them. Topics will include immigration experiences in the late nineteenth and late twentieth/early twenty-first centuries; the phenomenon of “passing” (and what that can tell us about how social constructions in the U.S.); and the struggles that many Americans face in making ends meet.