AJ_ERKA Ethnic and Regional Culture of America

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2012
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Michael George, M.A. (seminar tutor)
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 of Seminar Groups
AJ_ERKA/01: Thu 11:10–12:50 učebna 63, M. George
Prerequisites
AJ4_DUSA AJ4_SDUS
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This is a "round table" seminar/discussion course which looks at The United States of America not as one land, but as a collection of very different cultures. Regional differences such as North-South and East-West as well as the ethnic differences of groups such as African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and Native Americans are analyzed. The resulting different speech patterns of each region and group will also be noted.
The aim of the course is for the students to analyze what it means for a land to be so culturally diverse and still one nation. (and in doing so, to develop a deeper understanding of the United States and to evaluate the relative merits of multiculturalism)
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction.
  • 2. The U.S.A. as a land of contrasts
  • 3. Sectionalism, North and South
  • 4. Sectionalism, East and West
  • 5. African Americans
  • 6. Mexican Americans
  • 7. Native Americans and others
  • 8. Asian-Americans
  • 9. Multi culturalism – the past
  • 10. Multi culturalism – the future
  • 11 - 13. Student research presentations
Literature
  • McMurtry, Larry: Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen; Simon & Schuster, 1999.Sitkoff, Harvard: The Struggle for Black Equality; New York, 1993.Gray, Herman: Watching Race; U of Minnesota Press, 1995
  • SITKOFF, Harvard. The struggle for black equality :1954-1992. 19th print. New York: Hill and Wang, 1994, ix, 258 s. ISBN 0-374-52356-8. info
Teaching methods
This is a "round table" seminar where each student comes to the weekly class having read the assigned texts and shares his/her opinions during the discussion. Discussions are sometimes supplemented with relevant documentary videos. In addition each student researches a relevant topic of his/her choice and either writes it as a (2,000 word) seminar paper, or presents it as a (15-20 minute) presentation to the class.
Assessment methods
85% attendance, preparation and full participation in class meeting seminar discussions, research on an approved topic (as described above).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 2 hodiny.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Spring 2017.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2012, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2012/AJ_ERKA