AJ18088 Cultural Landscapes and Cultural Identity

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/20/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Denisa Krásná, BA (Hons), Ph.D. (lecturer)
Assoc. Prof. Peter Thompson (lecturer), doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJ01002 Practical English II || AJ41002 Practical English II
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 14 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/14, only registered: 0/14, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/14
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
1. To examine the role of landscape and space in understanding Canadian cultural identity. 2. To introduce students to recent scholarship in spatial identity theory, heritage studies, and cultural studies. 3. To encourage students to critically examine the conflict between environmental determinism and social construction as it relates to perceptions of the built and natural environment in Canada. 4. To improve students’ critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and written and oral communication through class discussions, presentations, and written assignments.
Learning outcomes
Landscape has always been a durable and important marker of Canadian cultural identity. While early proponents of the garrison thesis saw in Canadian culture a fear of the harsh and forbidding wilderness, romantic poets and artists viewed the landscape as a source of spiritual renewal. The relationship between Canadians and the land has also always been at least in part defined in economic terms: Canada’s natural resources fuelled settlement and have positioned the country as an important exporter of things like oil, timber and fresh water. This course will examine the conflict between traditional views of the landscape – which oscillate between overly romanticized portrayals and economically driven assessments – and more recent approaches which argue that landscapes are socially constructed and serve ideological interests. This course will consider the impact of the environmental movement on Canadians’ perception of the landscape, the role of spatial identity theory on understanding physical landmass, the relationship between Canada’s heritage industry and cultural landscapes, and differences between rural, urban, and suburban landscapes.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught: in blocks.
Note related to how often the course is taught: April 8 - 12, 2019, room G316.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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