AJ2BP_AMLI American literature

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2012
Extent and Intensity
1/0/0. 1 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Irena Přibylová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Renata Jančaříková, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Timetable
Mon 10:15–11:00 učebna 30
Prerequisites
Read fluenty in English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course provides an introduction to the development of American literature from its colonial beginnings to the middle of the 20th century, focusing on typical American themes and genres, as reflected in non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. The student will learn about the creation of the American literary canon, and will approach it from a contemporary point of view, seeing in details the issues of gender, race and ethnicity, region, and ideology. Independent reading is important for completing the course.
Syllabus
  • Fall 2012:
  • Theme 1: Introduction; literary survey.
  • Theme 2: Promises and visions (the Bible in American literature).
  • Theme 3: Exploration and encouters (essays, letters, narratives, autobiographies.)
  • Theme 4: Heroes and anti-heroes (novels, male writers).
  • Theme 5: Regions and identity (novels, South and West).
  • Theme 6: Finding her voice (female writers).
  • Theme 7: Race and identity (African American, Jewish American, Native American).
  • Theme 8: Tell it true (oral literature).
  • Theme 9: Social issues (the American dream).
  • Theme 10: Poetry (great American themes.)
Literature
    required literature
  • VANSPANCKEREN, Kathryn. Nástin americké literatury. [Praha]: Informační agentura Spojených států, 137 s. info
    recommended literature
  • BRADBURY, Malcolm and Richard RULAND. From puritanism to postmodernism : a history of American literature. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1991, 456 s. ISBN 0-14-014435-8. info
  • BRADBURY, Malcolm. Od puritanismu k postmodernismu : dějiny americké literatury. Edited by Richard Ruland, Translated by Marcel Arbeit. Vyd. 1. Praha: Mladá fronta, 1997, 492 s. ISBN 8020405860. info
  • The Columbia history of the American novel. Edited by Emory Elliott - Cathy N. Davidson. New York: Columbia University, 1991, xviii, 905. ISBN 0-231-07360-7. info
  • An early American reader. Edited by J. A. Leo Lemay. Washington: United States Information Agency, 1988, xxiii, 741. info
  • An Early American Reader. Washington: US Inf.Agency, 1990, 741 s. info
Teaching methods
Lectures and comments on selected texts.
Assessment methods
Oral colloquy: comment on a given question, supporting it with examples from two novels you have read (set of questions is published on the moodlinka after each lesson)
Language of instruction
English
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2010, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, autumn 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2012, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2012/AJ2BP_AMLI