PdF:AJ2307 American History, Culture and - Course Information

AJ2307 American History, Culture and Literature

Extent and Intensity

0/3/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Dita Hochmanová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Barbora Kašpárková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., 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

AJ2307/PrezPred01: Thu 10:00–10:50 D214 učebna, Z. Janík
AJ2307/PrezSem01: Tue 16:00–17:50 B410 učebna, D. Hochmanová
AJ2307/PrezSem02: Mon 16:00–17:50 A25 učebna, D. Hochmanová
AJ2307/PrezSem03: Thu 8:00–9:50 B48 učebna, B. Kašpárková

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 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The students are introduced to history, literature, and culture of the United States of America from Pre-Columbian era to the 20th Century. The goal is to introduce important authors, literary movements, historical events and cultural context of the given period and analyze their interrelation. Students will understand how literary texts reflect historical events and cultural myths. They will learn to identify cultural values and interpret them with the purpose to enhance respect to otherness. Students will discuss the role of context, gender, race, and ethnicity in history and in forming of literary genres and topics.

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 skills in analytical reading and proposal writings - understand and frame literary works as a form of social commentary which responds to specific historical occurrences - A portfolio task is included as part of the course assessment. The final requirement for passing this course is the creation of a digital poster based on a novel of the student’s selection. According to the Competency Framework for Teacher Graduates (OSKR / KRAAU), the development of this portfolio task strengthens competence in (i) identifying and interpreting the relationships between literature, culture, and language by engaging with authentic texts; (ii) didactically transforming complex subject content into accessible, visually engaging teaching materials and learning opportunities that correspond to the cognitive level and educational needs of elementary school pupils.

Syllabus

• Week 1. Introduction to the course
• History: The Southern Colonies and the first settlements Literature: Native Americans' trickster tales
• Week 2. Colonial Beginnings
• History: The Colonial North and the Middle Colonies: the mosaic of multicultural society
• Literature: Puritan writers
• Week 3. Revolution and Enlightenment
• History: Toward the War of Indepedence: the reasons for the colonial resistance
• Literature: Authors of American Enlightenment
• Week 4. Road to Independence
• History: The Spirit of Revolution and the Idea of Independence
• Literature: Romantic period and Transcendentalism
• Week 5. The New American Voices - Poetry Literature: Birth of Modern American poetry (Whitman, Dickinson) History: The British Colonies and the War of Independence
• Week 6: Slavery and the Hope for Freedom
• History: Slavery, the Federal Government, and the Civil War
• Literature: slave narratives, spirituals and folk tales
• Week 7:The American Gothic
• Literature: American Gothic: Ambiguity and Anxiety (Poe, Hawthorne, Ch. Brockden Brown, Ch. P. Gilman) History: Slavery, the Civil War and Segregation
• Week 8: America Moves
• History: Why do people migrate? Reasons and values
• Literature: Realism, Regionalism
• Week 9: America Moves
• History: Why do people migrate? Reasons and values
• Literature: Realism, Naturalism
• Week 10: America on Wheels
• Literature: Modernism (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner)
• History: US Imperialism,Great Depression and New Deal. Foreign Policy: from Monroe Doctrine to World War I
• Week 11. African American Experience
• History: The Reconstruction of the South, Jim Crow Laws and Segregation
• Literature: Harlem Renaissance
• Week 12:Convention Meets Rebellion
• History: From Isolationism to the US Involvement in the World. World War II and the Cold War

Literature

required literature
• DAVIDSON, James West. Nation of nations : a concise narrative of the American Republic. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, xxiv, 947. ISBN 0070157383. info
• Columbia literary history of the United States. Edited by Emory Elliott - Martha Banta - Houston A. Baker. Collector's edition. New York: Columbia University, 1988, xxviii, 12. ISBN 0-231-06780-1. info

recommended literature
• Murrin, John M. et al. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. 5 th ed. USA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.
• Oxford guide to British and American culture : for learners of English. Edited by Jonathan Crowther - Kathryn Kavanagh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, viii, 599. ISBN 0194313328. info
• Encyclopedia of southern culture. Edited by Charles Reagan Wilson - William R. Ferris - Ann J. Abadie - Mary L. Ha. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina press, 1989, xxi, 1634. ISBN 0807818232. info
• HIGH, Peter B. An outline of American literature. London: Longman, 1986, 256 s. ISBN 0582745020. info

Teaching methods

discussion-based seminars, pair and group work, issue-based learning

Assessment methods

Continuous assessment (50%): class attendance and active participation in the discussion; complete in-class quizzes on history and literature Summative assessment: Poster presentation (50%) Portfolio-based task assessing the development of your competences is a part of the requirement.

Language of instruction

English

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

Teacher's information

Students doing their Erasmus study stay abroad and students with IPS are not required to attend the classes, but they are obliged to submit all the required assignments and take the exams. In the course, the use of AI is permitted for learning but not for cheating. It is acceptable to use AI for brainstorming ideas, basic proofreading, and suggestions for improvement. It is unacceptable to have a text generated, translated or reformulated. Remember to acknowledge all innovative ideas that are not yours. For generated ideas, use in-text citations. At the end of each assignment, state how you worked/did not work with AI. When in doubt, consult your teacher. Upon successful completion of the course, you will earn 5 ECTS credits. Each ECTS credit represents 25 to 30 hours of work.

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