A2BK_DUSA1 History of the United States 1

Faculty of Education
Spring 2021
Extent and Intensity
0/0/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Pavla Buchtová (seminar tutor)
Michael George, M.A. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, 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
Prerequisites
( A2BK_PJ1B Practical Language 1B && A2BK_GR1B Grammar B && A2BK_SFFB Phonetics Seminar B ) || A2BK_SOZK Complex Exam
none
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
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. They should be able to analyze current events in The United States as well as develop a richer understanding of American literature.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course students will have a more complete understanding of how history and literature have combined to create the culture of modern America.
Syllabus
  • 1.Introduction, the Character of Americans
  • 2.Immigration: What is an American
  • 3.Colonial America: the Road to Revolutionn
  • 4.The Constitution: 1st and 2nd Amendments and their Modern Application
  • 5.The West: Movement, mobility and family
  • 6.Sectionalism and Slavery
  • 7. The Civil War - and its legacy
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. 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. Because History and literature are impossible to separate, 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.
Assessment methods
Assessment methods 1. Attendance: Only 1 absence is allowed; two or more absences will mean loss of credit. 2. Preparation and class participation: Every student is required to have read the assigned texts and share his/her thoughts about them around the discussion circle. STUDENTS MUST JOIN THE CLASS DISCUSSION TO RECEIVE CREDIT. 3. Koloqvium: The koloqvium will focus on the associations between history and literature. Students must be able to recognize and describe the connections between history and literature.
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: 12hodin.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2021/A2BK_DUSA1