A2BK_DUSA1 History of the United States 1

Faculty of Education
Spring 2011
Extent and Intensity
0/0/12. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Michael George, M.A. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Irena Přibylová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Prerequisites (in Czech)
A2BP_SOZK Complex Exam || A2BK_SOZK Complex Exam || AJ2BP_SOZK Qualifying Exam
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
Course objectives
This is the first half of a survey course of American History covering the period from the arrival of Europeans to the Civil War, and is intended to accompany and complement the American Literature course of the same period. Its aim is to 1) provide the historical and cultural background necessary for those intending to be become English language teachers, as well as, more proximately 2) to give depth and understanding to the study of American Literature. At the end of this course, students should be able to identify and evaluate the main currents of U.S. cultural history and their causes and consequences in relation to modern American culture and society.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction - History and values in modern America 2. What is an American? Immigration and the National Character 3. Colonial and Revolutionary America 4. The Constitution: The Bill of Rights and its Modern Application 5. The West: Movement, mobility and family 6. Sectionalism: Democracy and Slavery
Literature
  • DAVIDSON, James West. Nation of nations : a concise narrative of the American Republic. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996, xxiv, 947. ISBN 0070157383. info
  • ZINN, Howard. A people's history of the United States. 1st HarperPerrenial ed. New York: Harper Perennial, 1990, 614 s. ISBN 0060907924. info
  • O'CALLAGHAN, D. B. An illustrated history of the USA. Harlow: Longman, 1990, 144 s. ISBN 0582749212. info
Teaching methods
This class meets in "round table" seminar discussions fortnightly, where we look in depth at one of these particular issues of American History and ask "why?". These are classic, interactive seminars - in which each student comes to the class having read the assigned texts and shares his/her opinions on the subject. Careful reading is especially important because each set of seminar readings represents several different points of view on the subject of the day. In these seminars there are no correct or incorrect answers, the aim is to "think out loud", offering your thoughts to your colleagues in the circle. If everyone does this, we all walk away with more insight into the question than when we came. But because we are talking about real life, we will never walk away with "THE ANSWER". It doesn't exist. On alternate weeks (when we don’t meet as a class) there are textbook readings to be analyzed in a response paper. That paper is due on the day one week after the previous seminar and one week before the next.
Assessment methods
1. Attendance: This is a discussion seminar, not the sort of course you can study at home if you miss class. You must be present to gain any benefit, and for that reason it's important to be present every meeting. Because we will only meet 5 more times this semester, only 1 absence will be allowed; two or more absences will mean loss of credit. 2. Preparation and class participation: As full members of a discussion seminar, every student is expected to have read the assigned texts and share his/her thoughts about them around the circle. YOU MUST JOIN THE CLASS DISCUSSION TO RECEIVE CREDIT. 3. Koloqvium: History and literature are impossible to separate. (Simply think of the history of the Czech lands and its influence on the national literature.) The same is no less true for the intertwined history and literature of the United States, and for that reason this course is being offered in conjunction with Mgr. Buchtova’s American Literature course. We will make every effort throughout the semester to blend these disciplines in an attempt to give you a more integrated and realistic picture of the origins of modern America. For that reason, you will be asked to give special attention to the relationships and connections between historical and literary movements, persons and events in both classes. The koloqvium will focus on these associations.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 12 hodin.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2011, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2011/A2BK_DUSA1