PdF:AJ3302 Contemporary American literatu - Course Information

AJ3302 Contemporary American literature and society

Extent and Intensity

0/3/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. (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

AJ3302/Kombi01: Fri 15. 2. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 1. 3. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 15. 3. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 29. 3. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 12. 4. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 3. 5. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Z. Janík, J. Šalamoun
AJ3302/Kombi02: Fri 22. 2. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 8. 3. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 22. 3. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 5. 4. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 26. 4. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Fri 10. 5. 15:00–17:50 učebna 10, Z. Janík, J. Šalamoun
AJ3302/Prez01: Tue 17:00–19:50 učebna 58, Z. Janík, J. Šalamoun

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

This course introduces students to major trends, authors and works of contemporary American literature by focusing on themes relevant for current times and provides connections to current political, cultural and social events. The central theme is the issue of identity - national, transnational, gender, social, racial, ethnic and multiethnic.
At the end of this course, students should be able to
identify cultural values and interpret their significance
describe postmodernism, discuss its causes and origins
identify and analyze postmodern features in literary texts
explain how minority writers (women, ethnic, racial and sexual minorities) have used postmodern narrative techniques to define their identities

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- identify and describe major trends in postwar American literature and understand their relationship to American society and culture
- familiar with major works of fiction, art, and historical events which influenced the social life of the U.S. of America
- develop your skills in analytical reading and proposal writings
- understand and frame literary works as a form of social commentary which responds to specific historical occurrences

Syllabus

• 1. Cultural, social and literary themes of contemporary USA
• 2. Theories of poststructuralism as a tool to interpret contemporary culture
• 3. Postmodern Identity (Thomas Pynchon, John Barth, Kurt Vonnegut)
• 4. Revisiting History (E. L. Doctorow, Toni Morrison)
• 5. New ideas, new genres (graphic novel, cyberpunk)
• 6. Critique of literary canon and critique of poststructuralism (Adrienne Rich, Gloria Anzaldua, Barbara Christian)
• 7. Identity and Race (Alice Walker, Amiri Baraka, Lucille Clifton)
• 8. Identity and Ethnicity I (Sandra Cisneros, Amy Tan) 9. Identity and Ethnicity II (Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie)
• 10. Identity and Gender (Ursula LeGuin, Adrienne Rich, Olga Broumas)
• 11. Queer Identity (Leslie Feinberg, Olga Broumas)
• 12. Transnational Identity (R. Jarrar, Iva Pekarkova)

Literature

• The Columbia history of the American novel. Edited by Emory Elliott - Cathy N. Davidson. New York: Columbia University, 1991, xviii, 905. ISBN 0-231-07360-7. info
• The Heath anthology of American literature. Edited by Paul Lauter. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1990, xxxix, 261. ISBN 0-669-12065-0. info
• Columbia literary history of the United States. Edited by Emory Elliott. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988, xxviii, 12. ISBN 0-231-05812-8. info

Teaching methods

discussion-based seminars
group work

Assessment methods

1) Response papers (1 for each seminar), focusing on one text from the assigned reading
2) final credit test
3) in-class presentation of an argument (based on the novel you read)

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

Teacher's information

http://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=2707 (combined version)

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2019, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2019/AJ3302