AJ15002 American Literature: 1960 to the Present

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2010
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)
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ15002/A: Wed 13:20–14:55 G32, M. Horáková
AJ15002/B: Wed 18:20–19:55 G32, M. Horáková
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJ09999 Qualifying Examination && AJ04003 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: 0/50, 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
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course attempts to capture the cultural and literary diversity of American writing since the 1960s. Reading a variety of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction, the course examines works by authors from different geographical regions, ethnic backgrounds, and literary traditions.
Class sessions will include a mini-lecture, audio-visual learning, and group and class discussions.
At the end of the course, students will: 1. Acquire a fuller appreciation of contemporary American literature and the cultural history of the United States. 2. Refine critical thinking and improve communication capabilities.
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Introduction to course policies and assignments
  • Week 2: Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street; essay: Antonia I. Castaňeda, “Language and Other Lethal Weapons: Cultural Politics and the Rites of Children as Translators of Culture.”
  • Week 3: Flannery O’Connor, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” and “Good Country People”; essay: Gwin and Harris, “The Contemporary South 1940-Present.” Eds. William L. Andrews, et al. The Literature of the American South. 583-593.
  • Week 4: David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars
  • Week 5: African American writing: Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”; James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”; essay: Michael Omi, “Racialization in the Post-Civil Rights Era”
  • Week 6: Native American writing: Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony essay: M. Annette Jaimes Guerrero, “Academic Apartheid: American Indian Studies and multiculturalism”
  • Week 7: Multicultural writing: Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior; essay: Christopher Newfield and Avery F. Gordon, “Multiculturalism’s Unfinished Business”
  • Week 8: Postmodern Fiction: Michael Cunningham, The Hours; essay: Hughes, Mary Joe.: “Michael Cunningham’s The Hours and postmodern artistic re-presentation.” Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction 45.4 (2004): 349-361
  • Week 9: Contemporary Poetry: Allen Ginsberg, “Howl” and “A Supermarket in California"; Gary Snyder, “Milton By Firelight”, “Wave”; Adrienne Rich, “Diving into the Wreck”; Joy Harjo, “Woman Hanging From the Thirteenth Floor Window”; Sylvia Plath, “Daddy”, “Lady Lazarus”
  • Week 10: national holiday, no class: collecting paper proposals with teacher’s feedback and preparing the final research paper
  • Week 11: national holiday, no class: preparing the final research paper
  • Week 12: submission of final papers, conclusion and evaluation of the course
Literature
  • The Heath anthology of American literature. Edited by Paul Lauter. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006, xxii, 838. ISBN 0618532994. info
  • The Norton anthology of American literature. Edited by Nina Baym. 6th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003, s. 1071-19. ISBN 0393979008. info
Teaching methods
Class sessions will include a mini-lecture, audio-visual learning, and group and class discussions.
Assessment methods
Assessment: Students will write weekly response papers, a final essay, and participate actively in the group and class discussions.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught each semester.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 1999, Spring 2001, Autumn 2001, Spring 2002, Autumn 2002, Spring 2003, Autumn 2003, Spring 2004, Autumn 2004, Spring 2005, Autumn 2005, Spring 2006, Autumn 2006, Spring 2007, Autumn 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2010, recent)
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