AJ16172 Contemporary Issues in US and UK Culture and Politics

Filozofická fakulta
podzim 2020
Rozsah
0/2/0. 2 kr. (plus 2 za zk). Doporučované ukončení: zk. Jiná možná ukončení: z.
Vyučující
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (přednášející)
Garance
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D.
Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky – Filozofická fakulta
Kontaktní osoba: Tomáš Hanzálek
Dodavatelské pracoviště: Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky – Filozofická fakulta
Rozvrh
Út 18:00–19:40 G24
Předpoklady
AJ01002 Anglický jazyk II && AJ07002 Úvod do studia kultury USA II
Omezení zápisu do předmětu
Předmět je nabízen i studentům mimo mateřské obory.
Předmět si smí zapsat nejvýše 15 stud.
Momentální stav registrace a zápisu: zapsáno: 0/15, pouze zareg.: 0/15, pouze zareg. s předností (mateřské obory): 0/15
Mateřské obory/plány
Cíle předmětu
This course will examine current political and cultural controversies, primarily in the United States but also in the United Kingdom, based on events in the news and the current contents of public discussion in those countries. Class discussions and presentations will aim to contextualize present-day issues, locating them in the broader streams of history and cultural development that help explain how and why they arose, what is at stake in them, who the groups in contention are, and how the contrasting positions in current debates reflect and help construct different racial, cultural and political identities. Students will increase their ability to follow and understand events in the English-speaking world with depth and insight, and will have an opportunity to develop specific expertise with regard to one or more issues of their choice.
Výstupy z učení
Students will learn how to access and evaluate a wide variety of sources of US and UK news and commentary. They will know what issues currently animate public discussion in those countries, who the partisans and participants in them are, how they reflect and influence developments in party and electoral politics, and how they help construct different racial, cultural and political identities. They will know and be able to apply knowledge about American and British cultures and political systems to the analysis of "breaking" or newly arising events and developments as they occur, will be able to understand these with depth and insight, and will be prepared for further course and thesis work related to American and British cultural studies.
Osnova
  • Class presentations and discussions each week will focus on whatever is currently in the news, as well as the following additional or background subjects:
  • 1. Regions, states, and other subdivisions of the US and UK
  • 2. Government structures and policymaking procedures in the US an UK, and how these differ
  • 3. Presidents, prime ministers, and other key personalities and "newsmakers"
  • 4. Political parties and organizations
  • 5. Political traditions and cultures; "red" vs. "blue"
  • 6. Racial and ethnic issues
  • 7. Class, mobility, and economic issues
  • 8. Popular cultures and stereotypes
Literatura
    povinná literatura
  • American political parties and electionsa very short introduction. Edited by Louis Sandy Maisel. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, xvi, 175 p. ISBN 9780195301229. info
  • British Politics: A Very Short Introduction
Výukové metody
Presentations / live discussions (in online classes), online discussions on ELF, posted readings and film and TV viewings.
Metody hodnocení
75% final exam (during the exam period, date to be announced); 10% attendance; 15% participation (in ELF discussion forums).
Vyučovací jazyk
Angličtina
Informace učitele
Details of the syllabus will be developed in part on the basis of students' interests. The tentative list of topics above offers a rough idea, but the specifics to be discussed each week will depend on events in the news. Students will also discuss and share information about news events in group discussion forums on ELF.

For background, see the readings linked to on ELF. Mainly, students should be following news from the US and UK regularly and avidly. Recommended ways of doing that include RSS feeds and newsreaders and a news aggregator called "Protopage." See the ELF site for details.
Další komentáře
Studijní materiály
Předmět je vyučován každoročně.
Předmět je zařazen také v obdobích jaro 2014, jaro 2015, jaro 2016, podzim 2017.
  • Statistika zápisu (nejnovější)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/predmet/phil/podzim2020/AJ16172