AJ3DC_SBAL Contemporary British and American Literature

Faculty of Education
Spring 2010
Extent and Intensity
0/0/12. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Hana Waisserová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Irena Přibylová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Prerequisites
Reading proficiency adequate to university level.
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 main objectives of the course are the following: The seminar is based on reading and analysis of selected extracts, and activities and discussions related to them. The goal of the course is that the students are acquainted with chief works, authors and topics of the relevant periods, will achieve an in-depth understanding of the British life and culture and will exercise their reading and other competences.
Syllabus
  • This course will be an introductory, but intensive, survey of representative contemporary British and American writers from about 1945 to the present. We will focus on current most visible literary trends, and writers' responses to earlier traditions of realism and modernism, exploring the techniques of narrative fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry; we will also explore the themes the authors raise as they both acknowledge and contribute to the increasingly postmodern and postcolonial experience of British culture. Cultural, historical, and theoretical context will be provided and discussed, while reading primary or secondary readings. Method of close reading would allow us to learn of relevant historical context, times and sites of the works production and reception. The seminar is based on reading and analysis of selected extracts, and activities and discussions related to them. The goal of the course is that the students are acquainted with chief works, authors and topics of the relevant periods, will achieve an in-depth understanding of the British life and culture and will exercise their reading and other competences.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Kathryn VanSpanckeren. Outline of American Literature. Online version.
  • James F. English, ed. A Concise Companion to Contemporary British Fiction. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
    not specified
  • Literature is provided on moodlinka.
Teaching methods
Home reading, presentations, analysis, class discussion, response paper.
Assessment methods
Course Requirements Students are expected to read and reflect on assigned readings, and will be assigned with a series of short informal assignments that develop ideas, reflect on and critique the selected texts. Effective reading and writing skills would be treated as well (as such those involve drafting, rethinking, reshaping, reflecting, and rewriting). Students will sign up for 5 min. oral presentation to introduce either context, character, text's feature or author. Students are required to read the compulsory readings, and/or additional readings and to participate in class discussions. Discussion will encourage us to explore the connections between the secondary readings, and the novel. Students will submit paper copies of writing assignments Response Papers, as required. All major assignments and supporting assignments are due on dates specified by your lecturer, and noted in moodlinka. Reading. You are required to keep up with class reading. In-class debates require you to come to class prepared. You will also need to read the works with a critical eye. Homework. As specified during the semester, homework may include exercises, short writing assignments, and other work that develops reading and writing skills. Many of these assignments require downloading and printing online materials. While these assignments are minor to your grade, nevertheless those are to be completed in a timely manner (following the schedule provided in the moodlinka outline), and those should illustrate your best efforts and serious consideration of the assignment. In-Class Work. You will be expected to participate in collaborative activities and class discussions. Grades and Evaluation In-class debates participation, set reading, Response Papers 40% Credit Test 40% Oral Presentation 20% PLEASE NOTE: Attendance (80%) is assumed. Satisfactory result on assignments plus regular attendance will determine the grade. The course is hands-on, based on activities rather than lecturing. You are expected to work both for and in the sessions. Unexcused excessive abscense affects your grade as well. Each student will have to give 5 min. oral presentation. (More details will be provided in class).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2010, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2010/AJ3DC_SBAL