AJ2MP_SAML Seminar to American literature of the 20th century

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2017
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Pavla Buchtová (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, 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
AJ2MP_SAML/01: Thu 13:00–14:40 učebna 55, P. Buchtová
AJ2MP_SAML/02: Thu 10:15–11:55 učebna 12, P. Buchtová
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
This course examines American literature of the second half of the 20th century. The course is designed to introduce students to the ideas and pleasures literature offers us, and encourages students to think about the texts and discuss them in the class. Students are also asked to keep a journal of their thoughts and responses to themes and ideas expressed in the texts.
At the end of this course, students should be able to describe postmodernism, discuss its causes and origins, and discuss ways in which the twentieth-century fiction and poetry respond to the postmodern condition; explain how minority writers (women, ethnic, racial and sexual minorities) have used postmodern narrative techniques to define their identities; appreciate the diversity of views expressed in contemporary American literature
Syllabus
  • 1. Postmodernism and theories of poststructuralism
  • introduction to the course and a lecture
  • 2. Postmodern Identity
  • Developing an argument
  • reading: Donald Barthelme, Paul Auster, Umberto Eco
  • 3. Revisiting History
  • reading: Art Spiegelman, Sherman Alexie, Toni Morrison
  • 4. Identity and Race
  • reading: June Jordan, Alice Walker, Amiri Baraka, Lucille Clifton
  • 5. Identity and Gender
  • Working with secondary sources
  • reading: Adrienne Rich, Ursula LeGuin, Margaret Atwood, Olga Broumas
  • 6. Identity and Ethnicity I
  • reading: Sandra Cisneros, Amy Tan
  • 7. Identity and Ethnicity II
  • reading: Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie
  • 8. Queer Identity
  • reading: Leslie Feinberg, Olga Broumas
Literature
  • 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
  • The Heath anthology of American literature. Edited by Paul Lauter. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1990, xxxix, 261. ISBN 0-669-12065-0. info
  • Columbia literary history of the United States. Edited by Emory Elliott. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988, xxviii, 12. ISBN 0-231-05812-8. info
Teaching methods
discussion-based seminars
group work
Assessment methods
1) read the material assigned in the syllabus
2) read one novel by an American author written and published in the second half of the 20th century 3) in-class presentation of an argument (based on the novel you read)
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2017, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2017/AJ2MP_SAML