AJ17068 Origins of American Races and Cultures

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2013
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 14:10–15:45 G32
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ09999 Qualifying Examination || AJ01002 Practical English II ) && AJ07002 Intro. to American Studies II
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 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
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
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to understand, explain, and work effectively with concepts and methods of cultural analysis helpful in other courses and in thesis projects dealing with American culture, history and politics.
Syllabus
  • This course aims to equip students to understand and analyze American culture, politics and race relations in light of the underlying “deep structures” of regionalism and group identity that have shaped them over time. Lectures, discussions, readings, and film/video screenings will address the original settlements that gave rise to America’s various regional and sub-cultures, the impact of successive waves of immigration and internal migration, the changing definitions of race and ethnicity, and the complex interplay among groups that informs today’s political and artistic developments.

    26 September: Introduction; America’s “Cold Civil War”

    3 October: Imagining a “New” World

    Readings: excerpts from Anderson, Imagined Communities, and others as posted

    10 October: Religious conflicts and the motives for migrating

    Readings: excerpts from Cullen, The American Dream, and others as posted

    17 October: Cultural “hearths” and the origins of America’s “nations”

    Readings: Woodard, “The Real U.S. Map” (parts 1-5), and other excerpts posted

    24 October: America’s changing “regimes” and party systems

    Readings: excerpts from Keller, America’s Three Regimes, and others as posted

    31 October: Reading week; no class meeting

    7 November: American races and race concepts

    Readings: excerpts from Perry, “Race” and Racism, and others as posted

    14 November: Anglo-America, Euro-America, and Multicultural America

    Readings: excerpts from Lind, The Next American Nation, and others as posted

    21 November: American countercultures and alternative identities

    Readings: excerpts from Goffman and Joy, Counterculture Through the Ages, and others as posted

    28 November: Artistic expressions of American cultures

    Readings: excerpts from Lawson, Jim Crow’s Counterculture, and others as posted

    5 December: Changing demographics, “Southern exceptionalism” and U.S. politics today

    Readings: excerpts from Lind, Made in Texas, and others as posted

    12 December: Review and conclusion

Literature
    required literature
  • ANDERSON, Benedict R. O'G. (Benedi. Imagined communities : reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Rev. and extended ed. London: Verso, 1991, xv, 224 p. ISBN 0-86091-329-5. info
  • Books: Woodard, American Nations; Cullen, The American Dream; Lind, The Next American Nation; Keller, America’s Three Regimes; Goffman/Joy, Counterculture Through the Ages; other short readings and excerpts as indicated on the syllabus
Teaching methods
Lectures, readings, class discussions
Assessment methods
Final paper (due by e-mail during the exam period), 80% Attendance and participation, 20%
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2013/AJ17068