AJL16172 Contemporary Issues in US and UK Culture and Politics

Filozofická fakulta
podzim 2020
Rozsah
0/2/0. 6 kr. Ukončení: zk.
Vyučující
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (přednášející)
Garance
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., 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
AJL01002 Anglický jazyk II && AJL07002 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: 1/15, 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.
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
  • HAIDT, Jonathan. The righteous mind : why good people are divided by politics and religion. First Vintage Books edition. New York: Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., 2013, xxiv, 500. ISBN 9780307455772. info
  • Books: Wright, British Politics; Wenz, Beyond Red and Blue; Articles: Woodard, "The Real U.S. Map," Parts 1 -5
    doporučená literatura
  • Gender and elections : shaping the future of American politics. Edited by Susan J. Carroll - Richard Logan Fox. Third edition. New York: Cambridge university press, 2014, xvi, 299. ISBN 9781107611610. info
  • HETHERINGTON, Marc J. a Jonathan Daniel WEILER. Authoritarianism and polarization in American politics. First published. New York: Cambridge university press, 2009, xi, 234. ISBN 9780521711241. info
  • Liars! cheaters! evildoers!demonization and the end of civil debate in American politics. Edited by Tom DeLuca - John Buell. New York: New York University Press, 2005, xii, 228 p. ISBN 0814719759. info
  • MARABLE, Manning. Beyond black and white : transforming African-American politics. New York: Verso, 1995, xviii, 236. ISBN 1859849245. info
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 podzim 2021, podzim 2024.