AJ27053 Civil and Human Rights: A Comparative Examination

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2007
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Timetable
Thu 10:00–11:35 G22
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 16 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/16, only registered: 0/16
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
What are "civil rights" and why are they important, not only in terms of American history, but in a larger "global" context as well? Are the issues related to the struggle by minorities in the United States to gain these "rights" (whatever they may be) relevant in European or Czech contexts and if so, how? This course uses an examination of the issues surrounding the struggle for civil rights in the United States during the course of this century - primarily, but not exclusively, by the African-American community - as a springboard for a wide-ranging examination of civil and human rights in a more global context. Social, political and legal perspectives will be examined, as will the ramifications of this movement for American society as a whole. Reading for this course will be based on a variety of historical material, including contemporary documents and articles, texts of speeches, analysis of the relevant Supreme Court decisions and a number of essays on this issue. In addition, the video series America's Civil Rights Years, will be viewed and discussed, as well as some additional video material. We will also be looking at contemporary media coverage of such events, including both the American and Czech media.
Syllabus
  • What are "civil rights" and why are they important, not only in terms of American history, but in a larger "global" context as well? Are the issues related to the struggle by minorities in the United States to gain these "rights" (whatever they may be) relevant in European or Czech contexts and if so, how? This course uses an examination of the issues surrounding the struggle for civil rights in the United States during the course of this century - primarily, but not exclusively, by the African-American community - as a springboard for a wide-ranging examination of civil and human rights in a more global context. Social, political and legal perspectives will be examined, as will the ramifications of this movement for American society as a whole. Reading for this course will be based on a variety of historical material, including contemporary documents and articles, texts of speeches, analysis of the relevant Supreme Court decisions and a number of essays on this issue. In addition, the video series America's Civil Rights Years, will be viewed and discussed, as well as some additional video material. We will also be looking at contemporary media coverage of such events, including both the American and Czech media.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Assessment: in-class presentation and essay / Hodnocení: diskuse v kurzu a esej.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 1999, Autumn 2000, Autumn 2001, Autumn 2003, Spring 2005, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Spring 2017, Spring 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2007, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2007/AJ27053