American Circus History

Catalog description

This course examines the history of circus in America. It guides students through the art form's milestones from ancient acrobats and jugglers to its present-day professional and recreational resurgence. Lectures and discussions cover circus as a corporate venture and how, through performance, gender and racial identities were both reinforced and challenged. These performances shaped adolescent America, Americans' identity, and continue to influence culture and entertainment today.