CODE | ENG3083 | ||||||||
TITLE | American Studies: An Introduction | ||||||||
UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
DEPARTMENT | English | ||||||||
DESCRIPTION | The study-unit explores American culture, providing a series of different perspectives to develop an understanding of the challenge presented in analyzing any culture. The unit looks at the elements that contributed to the development of America, the historical events that continue to resonate in the U.S. today, and the myths that motivated and explained the development of this distinct culture. The unit combines lectures, discussions, and multi-media presentations including film and music. To the extent that they are available, guest lecturers from both the U.S. and Europe will provide depth, variety, and different viewpoints. Reading List - Bigsby, Christopher, The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006). - Brogan, Hugh, The Penguin History of the USA (London: Penguin, 2001). - Cooke, Alistair, Letter from America (London: Penguin, 2007). - Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Nature and Selected Essays (London: Penguin, 2003). - Marcus, Greil and Sollors, Werner, A New Literary History of America (Cambridge MA and London: Harvard University Press, 2009). - Obama, Barack, Dreams from my Father (Edinburgh: Canongate, 2007). - Obama, Barack, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Edinburgh: Canongate, 2007). - Paine, Thomas, Rights of Man (London: Penguin, 1985). - Reynolds, David, America, Empire of Liberty: A New History (London: Allen Lane, 2009). - Temperley, Howard and Bigsby, Christopher, A New Introduction to American Studies (Harlow: Longman, 2006). - Tocqueville, Alexis de, Democracy in America and Two Essays on America (London: Penguin, 2003). - Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States 1492-Present (Harlow: Longman, 2003). |
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RULES/CONDITIONS | Before OR WHILE TAKING THIS UNIT YOU ARE ADVISED TO TAKE ENG2089 | ||||||||
STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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LECTURER/S | Marija Grech |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |