American culture

The course offers the students an introduction to American life and institutions. It has been designed to provide the historical and cultural context necessary to understand all major areas of life in the United States of America.

The course provides students with the opportunity to gain a critical understanding of the American experience. The following questions will be addressed: Who is an American? What is America? What are the central values of America? What is the distance between the ‘American Dream’ and the reality? How did Americans form their culture and interact with one another What is America’s relationship to the rest of the world?

CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

- The People: settlement and immigration

- American Values and Beliefs

- Native American Studies

- Race and Ethnicity in the United States

- The Political System

- Education in the USA

- The Media, Sports, Arts and Entertainment

- America’s Global Role

- Geography and Culture of the Regions

In cooperation with Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, the course introduces also an interdisciplinary curriculum: Rock and Roll: An American Story Curriculum, which is based around American popular music and helps to obtain a deeper understanding of contemporary American life.

Required reading:

Selection of texts and materials developed by the teachers, made available on the Moodle platform

Additional reading (selected chapters):

Delgado, Richard and Jean Stefancic. 2017. Critical Race Theory. An Introduction. New York: New York University

Giannotti J., Szwarcewicz S. 2003. Talking About the USA. An Active Introduction to American Culture. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Regents.

Mauk, D., Oakland, J. 2009. American Civilization an Introduction. New York: Routledge.

Rock and Roll: An American Story Curriculum. http://teachrock.org/

Sardar, Z., Davis, M.W. 2003. Why Do People Hate America? Cambridge: Icon Books Ltd.

Velie, A., Kidwell, C.S. 2005. Native American Studies. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Woodard, C. 2011. American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. New York: Penguin Press.

Assessment methods:

Observation of participation, preparation and homework as well as Moodle assignment completion documented in an activity log (W1, W2, U1, U2, U4, K1)

Final Tests in tutorial and conversational classes (W1, W2, W3, U1, U2, U3)

Assessment criteria:

fail – 0-59%

satisfactory – 60-69%

satisfactory plus – 70-75%

good – 76-85%

good plus – 86-90%

very good – 91-100%

The students are evaluated in accordance with the university regulations, and they must attend all course meetings in a classroom or a distance learning platform. Informed participation in class discussions – based on completion of the assigned reading and supportive collaboration with classmates – is also required. Each class absence has to be excused in the first week after the lesson missed. The final grade percentage will be reduced for every unexcused absence from physical or virtual class or assignment that a student has failed to complete (homework or asynchronous learning).

A grade average of at least 60% must be achieved to pass the course. The students who have failed to obtain the total average grade of at least of 60% are allowed one retake, which is administered in the retake examination session.

Instructors are authorized to refuse credit when the student’s absenteeism rate is around 50% even if the absences have had valid reasons.

Timely completion of assigned tasks is obligatory. In the case of assignments submitted after the deadline or re-submitted, the grade is lowered.

NOTE: all the above principles apply to all kinds of classes: traditional classroom and all the forms of remote teaching situations. In case of online teaching, the tests may likewise be administered remotely in a form facilitating the verification of the achievement of learning outcomes.