AJ25003 Ethnic American Literature

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2000
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Rebekah Anne Bloyd, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Michaela Hrazdílková
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 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Syllabus
  • We will consider works which define the contemporary literature scene in the United States. Much of what has been recognized as innovative in American writing draws upon cultural infusions by groups who were newcomers (forced or voluntary) to American soil. Additionally, works informed by American Indian traditions have powerfully demonstrated artistic practices which prefigure the country's founding. Poems (and to a lesser extent, essays and short stories) reflecting European, Asian, African and Native American cultural and ethnic beliefs will be featured in our course. The assigned readings--and our responses to them--will be central to each class. We will look at texts as aesthetic objects, which demonstrate a writer's technique and feeling; and as intepretations of experience, which provide commentary on ethnic heritage, cultural constructions, and historical and contemporary social climates. One of our early discussions will center on the term "ethnic." What constitutes "ethnicity?" How is the status of a writer as "ethnic" determined? Topics to be considered throughout the course include: orature into literature; myth and ceremony in American Indian works; art for art's sake vs. art as political; blues and jazz in African American texts; and claiming "contradictory" identities.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Seminar; Assessment: Everyone in the class will act as a discussion leader at some point in the course. To prepare for talking with the class, the leader should compose a short response (2 pp.) to a select piece. He or she will begin the session by posing original questions about the text to the class. After involving class members in an examination of the poetry or prose work, the leader may then present additional ideas on the work. At midterm and at course close, an exam (written or oral) will be given. Participation in class and group leading equal 20% of the final mark; each exam is worth 40%.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught last offered.
The course is taught: every week.
Credit evaluation note: 2 původní kredity.
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