AJ_ERKA Ethnic and Regional Culture of America

Faculty of Education
Spring 2009
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. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Timetable
Tue 16:10–16:55 učebna 59
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.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
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 come to understand what it means for a land to be so culturally diverse and still one nation. (and in doing so, to develop a deeper - or at least a less superficial - understanding of the United States)
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
Assessment methods
This is a "round table" seminar where each student reads the assigned texts and shares his/her opinions during the discussion. In addition each student will research a relevant topic of his/her choice and either write it as a (2,000 word) seminar paper, or present it as a (15-20 minute) presentation to the class.
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 2010, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Spring 2017.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2009/AJ_ERKA