SFE10308 English: Culture Studies II (Spring 2009)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Compulsory in the one-year English programme, optional in the bachelor programme Society, Language and Culture (2^nd semester).

Prerequisites

The course builds on SFE10108 Culture Studies I (15 ECTS credits).

Lecture Semester

Spring 2009

Content

The culture teaching takes its point of departure in a chronological presentation of the development of national institutions, politics, social life and culture, as well as an overview of the most important events that have created this development.

The literature part of the course gives an overview of the literary development from the establishment of the USA

Forms of teaching and learning

Lectures and groups. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions, group tasks and seminars on reference technique. Group work outside scheduled classes is also encouraged and facilitated.

Practical training/internship

None.

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

One essay of minimum 5 standard pages (11, 500 characters) and one other assignment of the same length, using secondary sources and documenting them in a bibliography and in footnotes. Both coursework papers must be approved before a student may sign up for the final examination.

Examination

A 5-hour written examination. Aids permitted: English-English dictionary. Grading scale: A-F.

Literature

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Seventh Ed. (2007). New York
• Ro, S (1997), Literary AmericaCulture Studies 2. Compendium, local print.
• Mikkelsen, R, Culture Studies 2. Compendium, local print.

 

Works marked by asterisk (*) are to be found either in the anthology or in the compendium.

 

Novels and plays:

• F S Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
• A Walker, The Color Purple
• M Cunningham, The Hours
• J S Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• E O'Neill, The Hairy Ape
• A Miller, The Crucible

 

Prose and short stories:

• *N Hawthorne, ‘Young Goodman Brown'
• *Mark Twain, ‘The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras 
• *C P Gilman, 'The Yellow Wallpaper'
• *L Silko, 'The Man to Send Rainclouds' 

Poetry:

• *W Whitman, ‘Song of Myself' (1, 2, 6, 51, 52)
• *E Dickinson, ‘There's a certain Slant of light' and ‘A Bird came down the walk'
• *T S Eliot, ‘Journey of the Magi'
• *Robert Frost, ‘Birches' and ‘The Road Not Taken'
• *William Carlos Williams, ‘The Red Wheelbarrow' and ‘This Is Just to Say'
• *Langston Hughes, ‘Mulatto'
• *Gwendolyn Brooks, ‘The White Troops Had Their Orders ...'
• *Allen Ginsberg, ‘A Supermarket in California
• *Sylvia Plath, ‘Daddy'

 

Culture:

• Mauk, D & J Oakland (2002), American Civilization. 4^th ed. Routledge.
• O'Callaghan, B (1996), An Illustrated History of the USA. Longman.
• In the Norton anthology: the introductory and overview sections.
• Systematic reading of newspapers and journals.

 

All students must have an English-English dictionary such as Collins Cobuild Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, or another learner's dictionary for non-native users of English.