PdF:AJ2303 American History, Culture and - Course Information

AJ2303 American History, Culture and Literature

Extent and Intensity

0/3/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavla Buchtová (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Barbora Kašpárková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., 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

Wed 8:00–8:50 učebna 30

• Timetable of Seminar Groups:

AJ2303/01: Tue 10:00–11:50 respirium (5. nadzemní podlaží), P. Buchtová
AJ2303/02: Tue 8:00–9:50 respirium (5. nadzemní podlaží), P. Buchtová
AJ2303/03: Tue 12:00–13:50 učebna 62, P. Buchtová

Prerequisites (in Czech)

AJ2102 Practical Language 1B

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

there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The aim of the course is to explore the major as well as some of the lesser-known writers, literary movements, major historical events, trends and cultural concepts and make meaningful connections between them; and also to provide the historical, literary and cultural background necessary for those intending to be become English language teachers.
Students will engage in discussion, critical thinking and problem solving relating to the issues of gender, race, and ethnicity in history and in forming of literary genres and topics.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- identify and describe major trends in American literature and understand their relationship to American society and culture
- familiar with major works of fiction, art, and historical events which influenced the social life of the U.S. of America
- develop their skills in analytical reading
- understand and frame literary works as a form of social commentary which responds to specific historical occurrences
The course also develops 21st-century skills with particular emphasis placed on the following:
1) creative thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking
2) intercultural awareness
3) communicative competence

Syllabus

• Week 1. Introduction to the course
• History: The Southern Colonies and the first settlements
• Week 2. Colonial Beginnings
• History: The Colonial North and the Middle Colonies: the mosaic of multicultural society
• Literature: Puritan writers
• Week 3. Revolution and Enlightenment
• History: Toward the War of Indepedence: the reasons for the colonial resistance
• Literature: Authors of American Enlightenment
• Week 4. Road to Independence
• History: The Spirit of Revolution and the Idea of Independence
• Literature: Romantic period and Transcendentalism
• Week 5. Slavery and the Hope for Freedom
• History: Slavery, the Federal Government, and the Civil War
• Literature: slave narratives, spirituals and folk tales
• Week 6. America Moves
• History: Why do people migrate? Reasons and values
• Literature: Realism, Regionalism, Naturalism
• Week 7. Immigration and Westward Movement
• History: Immigration in the U.S. history
• Literature: Willa Cather: My Antonia
• Week 8: Toward Modern America
• History: The US Imperialism and Foreign Policy: from Monroe Doctrine to World War I
• Literature: Modernist poetry and fiction
• Week 9. African American Experience
• History: The Reconstruction of the South, Jim Crow Laws and Segregation
• Literature: Harlem Renaissance
• Week 10: America on Wheels
• History: From Roaring Economy to Great Depression and New Deal
• Literature: F. S. Fitzgerald: Great Gatsby
• Week 11: Convention Meets Rebellion
• History: From Isolationism to the US Involvement in the World. World War II and the Cold War
• Literature: Poetic movements
• Week 12: Civil Right to Multiculturalism
• History: Cultural Diversity and Integration
• Literature: Multicultural literature

Literature

required literature
• Murrin, John M. et al. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. 5 th ed. USA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.
• DAVIDSON, James West. Nation of nations : a concise narrative of the American Republic. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, xxiv, 947. ISBN 0070157383. info
• Columbia literary history of the United States. Edited by Emory Elliott - Martha Banta - Houston A. Baker. Collector's edition. New York: Columbia University, 1988, xxviii, 12. ISBN 0-231-06780-1. info

recommended literature
• American passages : a literary survey. Edited by Diane O'Connor. 1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004, xliv, 808. ISBN 0393979407. info
• Oxford guide to British and American culture : for learners of English. Edited by Jonathan Crowther - Kathryn Kavanagh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, viii, 599. ISBN 0194313328. info
• Encyclopedia of southern culture. Edited by Charles Reagan Wilson - William R. Ferris - Ann J. Abadie - Mary L. Ha. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina press, 1989, xxi, 1634. ISBN 0807818232. info

Teaching methods

discussion-based seminars, pair and group work, problem-based learning, project work, presentation

Assessment methods

Continuous assessment:
participate in the discussion; complete 5 quizzes on American history with a 70% passmark; read two novels and all the assigned reading for the seminar; in-class quizzes on the assigned reading; and in-class presentation.
Formative assessment: credit test

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2023/AJ2303