FF:AJ25023 American Literature and Wars

AJ25023 American Literature and America's Wars

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2005

Extent and Intensity

0/2. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

Thomas McConnell, Ph.D. (lecturer), Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A. (deputy)

Guaranteed by

Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. Tomáš Kačer, Ph.D.

Timetable

Tue 15:00–16:35 G31

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

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

Course objectives

American Literature and Americas Wars will examine historical events and how the official versions of those events compare with renderings in literature and other arts. We will concentrate on the defining armed conflicts of the last century and a half of American history, from the Civil War through both World Wars to Vietnam, and perhaps beyond. During our consideration of literary treatments of war, we will take up a parallel examination of cinematic treatments (in both documentaries and popular films), studying the development of American war films as a significant aspect of popular culture and a formative feature of American public opinion and common perception (especially in the twentieth century, when cinema as a technological art form matured alongside the centurys deadliest conflicts). As with literature, our approach will treat film as text, reading it as significant narratives of American experience. We will likely examine artistic treatments of war in music and the plastic arts. At the end of the course, students should have a broader understanding of American culture, the nations literature, its history, and of the cultures engagement with war as a manifestation of state policy and as an ethical conflict for the individual.

Syllabus

Whitman (poems provided) Crane, The Red Badge of Courage Wharton, A Son at the Front Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five OBrien, The Things They Carried

Assessment methods (in Czech)

Students will attend class regularly and participate in each class discussion, write one or two short papers (1-2 pages each), view films occasionally outside of class, and at the end of the semester write one long paper (10-12 pages) which will involve an oral presentation to the class.

FF:AJ25023 American Literature and Wars - Course Information

AJ25023 American Literature and America's Wars

Other applications