AJ27050 The American Civil War

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2001
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Michaela Hrazdílková
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 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Kurz zkoumá okamžik, který je pravděpodobně rozhodující v amerických dějinách, okamžik, kdy se Američané stali tím národem, kterým se stali (abychom parafrázovali historika občanské války a spisovatele Shelbyho Footea). Čím byl tento střet výjimečný, proč se stal klíčovm momentem v historii Spojených států? Lze se z něj poučit o americké kultuře a společnosti? A obecněji řečeno, lze se z něj dozvědět něco o podstatě lidského chování, co by se dalo vztáhnout na jiné podobné události (Bosna)? Kurz je založen především na video materiálu. Prostřednictvím dokumentů i hraných filmů o občanské válce se pokusíme zjistit, jak tuto událost nazírají sami Američané a jak ovlivnila jejich pozdější historii. Kromě toho budeme číst dobové texty, zejména spisy a projevy Abrahama Lincolna. Zabývat se budeme i texty Walta Whitmana (převážně poezií) a dalšími autory poloviny 19. století, abychom pochopili, co válka znamenala pro lidi své doby. Jádro kurzu tvoří jedenáctidílný dokumentární seriál Kena Burna The Civil War.
Syllabus
  • This course will examine what is perhaps the defining moment in American history, that is the moment when America became the nation it has become (to paraphrase the Civil War historian and author Shelby Foote). What was it about the nature of this struggle that made it the defining moment in the history of the United States? Can any lessons about American culture and society be learned? And, more generally, can we learn anything about the nature of human behaviour which could be applied to other such events (Bosnia?). The primary focus of the course will be on video material. By using both documentary footage about the Civil War as well as feature films on the same topic, we may be able to grasp insights into how Americans themselves see this event and how it has influenced subsequent American history. We will also be reading some contemporary historical writings, particularly the writings and speeches of Abraham Lincoln. The writings of Walt Whitman (primarily poetry) and other writers of the mid-19th century will also be looked at for an understanding of what the war meant to the people of the time. The core of the course is formed by Ken Burn's epic 11-part documentary series The Civil War.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Seminar; Assessment: class participation and essay / Seminář; hodnocení: diskuse v kurzu a esej
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: every week.
Credit evaluation note: 2 původní kredity.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2001/AJ27050