NJIT Debuts New Jersey Studies Initiative With Courses on Politics, Springsteen, and Shore Folklore

New Jersey Institute of Technology will launch a New Jersey Studies Initiative this fall. The program offers classes on state politics, history, and pop traditions. Instruction comes from a former Asbury Park mayor and a published Bruce Springsteen scholar.

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences created the series to cover topics from machine politics to Jersey Shore traditions. Classes span from the state’s 1787 founding to today.

“As a New Jersey native, I’ve long been struck by how often the state’s history and many amazing achievements go underappreciated, even by those who grew up here,” said HSS Chair Maurie Cohen, according to NJIT.edu. “While other colleges have offered New Jersey-themed courses, this initiative at NJIT is unique — a one-stop shop that brings the study of the Garden State under one roof to help students foster a deeper sense of local pride.”

Ed Johnson will teach New Jersey Politics and Policy. Johnson served as mayor of Asbury Park. He guided the city through Hurricane Sandy recovery and a 2013 visit from President Barack Obama. He also teaches at Rutgers and works in government relations at Brookdale Community College.

“We’ll talk about the state’s geography and power players like Frank Hague in the north and [Enoch] Nucky Johnson down south … referred to as ‘Nucky Thompson’ from Boardwalk Empire,” Johnson said. “Their model of influence is still felt. It’s important for students to see how historic dynamics show up in today’s politics.”

The class covers the state’s 564 municipalities. It examines debates over affordability and infrastructure. Johnson said students will connect past political structures to current policy decisions that affect residents.

Dan Loughran will teach Visions of the Promised Land: Bruce Springsteen’s America. Loughran works as assistant superintendent in Franklin Township Public Schools. He has published work in the Biannual Online-Journal of Springsteen Studies.

Students will analyze decades of lyrics and performances to examine citizenship and working-class identity. Guest speakers from the artist’s circle will visit. Students respond through writing and projects.

“Springsteen is a starting point, but the questions are bigger — what does it mean to be a citizen? What does it mean to belong to a place?” Loughran said.

Other offerings include New Jersey in Popular Culture, which covers diners, Atlantic City, and The Sopranos. Creepy New Jersey will study folklore and unexplained phenomena. Down the Shore: Everything’s All Right looks at tourism and environmental change along the Atlantic coastline.

The program arrives ahead of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music opening in Monmouth County in June.

The post NJIT Debuts New Jersey Studies Initiative With Courses on Politics, Springsteen, and Shore Folklore appeared first on WMTR AM.