Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

The candidate

• Has basic knowledge of major American authors and their works, and the culture and ideas of the period
• Can discuss the form and content of set texts using the appropriate terminology
• Can reflect critically, in writing and orally, on course themes
• Can orient himself/herself and develop intellectually in relation to his/her knowledge of the field

Course Description

The course will follow the development of the USA from a colony on the fringes of the Western world to modern superpower by studying fiction from a broad spectrum of genres and non-fiction prose from several historical epochs. The texts will be read in their political and/or historical contexts but will also be discussed as independent works. The majority of the texts will be taken from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course is taught every other spring semester. It includes two three-day workshops (held jointly with the course The Sounds of English XXXXN), online lectures and supporting material posted on Fronter. The workshops and online lectures provide background for the topics addressed during the course and will also be used to review the set texts.

Assessment Methods

The final written examination will be assessed on a scale from A to F, where E is the lowest pass mark, and F is a fail.

It is a prerequisite for the completion of the course that the students hand in a written paper. The paper is not graded and does not count towards the overall grade, but must be approved by the course instructor.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean