A look at a handful of conversations in America, from phone calls between family members and dating couples in the 1980s, contemporary 'hybrid' face-to-face/cell-phone conversations to interviews with Donald Trump and 'The Wire'. Explores what these conversations tell us about social life and how it changes, about people's concerns, cultural difference, and the diversity of ways of using language that is a hallmark of American society. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Communication Studies 359C and 367 (Topic: Inside the American Conversation) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.