PdF:AJ0325 The American Multicultural Exp - Course Information

AJ0325 The American Multicultural Experiment: Literature and Culture of Ethnic and Regional America

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

Michael George, M.A. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Jiří Šalamoun, Ph.D. (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

AJ0325/01: Mon 14:50–16:30 učebna 64, M. George, J. Šalamoun

Prerequisites

! AJ_ERKA US Multicultural Experiment
none

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

there are 16 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

This is a "round table" seminar 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 are analyzed through engagement with their history and literature. The course also examines the ethnic differences of groups such as African Americans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans. The resulting different speech patterns of each region and group are also 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. By doing so, the students develop a deeper understanding of the United States and can evaluate the relative merits of multiculturalism. At the end of the course students should be able to distinguish and differentiate the various voices coming from America according to region and ethnicity. In their ability to compare they will be able to examine and evaluate American current events and literature on a deeper level than before.

Syllabus

• 1. Introduction.
• 2. The “other” United States – the South.
• 3. African Americans.
• 4. The individual and the West.
• 5. Race and culture in the West – Native Americans.
• 6. Race and culture in the West - Mexican Americans.
• 7. Ethnicity and language – Spanish and Ebonics.
• 8. Asian Americans.
• 9. Multiculturalism and cultural linguistics.
• 10. Muslim Americans.
• 11 - 12. Student research presentations.
• 13. Conclusion

Literature

• TAKAKI, Ronald T. A different mirror : a history of multicultural America. Revised edition. New York: Back Bay Books, 2008, x, 529. ISBN 9780316022361. info
• Lee, A. Robert. (2008). Multicultural American Literature: Comparative Black, Native, Latino/a, and Asian American Fictions. Mississippi: U P of Mississippi.
• Koppelman, Kent L. (2013). Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America. London: Pearson.

Teaching methods

This is a "round table" seminar where each student comes to the weekly class having read the assigned texts and shares their opinions during the discussion. Discussions are sometimes supplemented with relevant documentary videos. In addition, there will be time set aside for short 15 minute presentations at the end of the semester.

Assessment methods

Attendance (30%), preparation and class participation (35%), research presentation (35%).

Language of instruction

English

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

The course is taught annually.
General note: Předmět bude realizován, pokud se přihlásí alespoň 15 studentů.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 2 hodiny.

Teacher's information

http://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=10

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2018, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2018/AJ0325