AJL15000 American Literature: Beginnings to 1865

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2022
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D.
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 12:00–13:40 K24
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJL01002 Practical English II || AJ01002 Practical English II ) && AJL04003 Intro. to Literary 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 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 4/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
A survey of American literature from the colonial period through the Civil War. The course prepares students to identify key authors, developments and movements in early American literature and culture and to explain their significance and interrelationships. It also lays the basis for further study of American literature and culture, both in the subsequent courses in the American literature sequence and in other courses and thesis work.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to identify important authors, issues, developments and movements in early American literature and culture and to explain their significance and interrelationships. They will be better able to analyze particular literary works in their cultural context, and will be prepared for further study of American literature and culture, both in the subsequent courses of the American literature sequence and in other courses and thesis work.
Syllabus
  • This is a tentative list of topics to be covered. Assigned readings have in most cases been excerpted and arranged specifically for the course, and therefore should be accessed on the course ELF site in the folder for each given week.
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  • WEEK 1
  • BACKGROUND AND CONCEPTS FOR STUDYING EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE
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  • WEEK 2
  • ENVISIONING THE “NEW-FOUND-LAND”
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  • WEEK 3
  • THE AMERICAN FOUNDING
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  • WEEK 4
  • NEOCLASSICISM AND CHANGING STYLES
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  • WEEK 5
  • INVERSIONS AND SATIRES
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  • WEEK 6
  • RACE AND SLAVERY
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  • WEEK 7
  • THE HAUNTED PAST
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  • WEEK 8
  • THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE, Part 1
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  • WEEK 9
  • READING WEEK: NO CLASS MEETING
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  • WEEK 10
  • THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE, Part 2
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  • WEEK 11
  • REVISIONISM AND PROTEST
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  • WEEK 12
  • THE CIVIL WAR
Literature
    recommended literature
  • A handbook of American literature : for students of English. Edited by Zbigniew Lewicki. Warsaw: U.S. Embassy, vi, 256. info
  • GRAY, Richard J. A brief history of American literature. 1st pub. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, x, 410. ISBN 9781405192309. info
  • Democracy, revolution, and monarchism in early American literature. Edited by Paul Downes. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002, xii, 239 p. ISBN 0521813395. info
  • ELLIOTT, Emory. The Cambridge introduction to early American literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, viii, 198. ISBN 0-521-52041-X. info
Teaching methods
Class presentations and discussions; readings, film/video viewings; postings on ELF.
Assessment methods
85% final exam (date during the exam period TBA); 15% ungraded "Section Review" postings (following instructions on ELF).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information about innovation of course.
This course has been innovated under the project "Faculty of Arts as Centre of Excellence in Education: Complex Innovation of Study Programmes and Fields at FF MU with Regard to the Requirements of the Knowledge Economy“ – Reg. No. CZ.1.07/2.2.00/28.0228, which is cofinanced by the European Social Fond and the national budget of the Czech Republic.

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Teacher's information
Assigned readings, and other works not presented in class, will be posted to ELF.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Autumn 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2022/AJL15000