American Culture and Institutions
Course: AN23005BA, Fall 2007
Time & place: Monday 08:00-09:40 in Studio 111 Instructor: István Kornél Vida (vidaik@yahoo.com) Room 108/1. (: 512-900 / Ext. 23093) Monday 12.00-14.00; also by appointment This is a survey course, which serves as the foundation for all subsequent courses in American studies. Besides revisiting topics already encountered in the first-year language course titled “American Civilization,” the seminar provides opportunities for more in-depth analysis of American politics, regional identity, society, race relations, religion, myths, sports, media, and other topical issues of American life. Students will be graded on the strength of their class performance, individual short lectures, and in-class tests. Most of the class sessions are to be based on the discussion of the topics at hand, introduced and moderated by the instructor and/or a student giving a presentation and being in charge of that topic. This discussion is to be facilitated by way of both common and individualized reading materials, visual aids, Internet resources, and realia shared in the classroom. Students will be also required to keep up to date with events in the world as they relate to the Unites States, and report on their findings in class. In addition, each student will give a 10-minute (between Week 2-10) and a 5-minute (between Week 11-14) presentation during the semester on pre-approved topics. Handouts of not more than two pages should be prepared in 12 copies and distributed at the beginning of the class. There will be short quizzes (announced in advance) and an end-term paper in the first week of the exam period (Week 14). The final grade will be calculated from the grades assigned on class participation (25%), the presentations (25%), short quizzes (10%), and the end-term paper (40%). More than three absences will result in a “not fulfilled” grade. Grades will be assigned according to the following conversion formulae: 0-60% = fail; 61-70% = satisfactory; 71-80% = average; 81-90% = good; 91-100% = excellent.
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Primary Texts: American Culture and Institutions: Course Packet (a.k.a. AN352) Advanced American Civilization: Course Materials on CD-ROM Current issues of Newsweek, Time, etc. (electronic/print versions)
Schedule of classes and topics
Week 1 (September 10)– Orientation and introduction to the course Week 2 (September 17)– Constitution I (definition; supreme law of the land; myths; sources; reasons why it was needed to replace the Articles of Confederation; the process of drafting, signing and ratifying it; structure; the main points of the seven articles; “the necessary and proper” clause; the Bill of Rights) Week 3 (September 24)– Constitution II (ratification deal, classification of additional amendments, the importance of the 14 th Amendment, the Equal Rights Amendment, Supreme Court decisions and the process of judicial review, Marbury vs. Madison, Dred Scott, Plessy vs. Fergusson, Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education, Rose vs. Wade; impeachment) Week 4 (October 1)– Civil liberties (Constitutional foundations: the Bill of Rights revisited; freedom of speech and freedom of the press vs. censorship in the US; freedom of assembly; the proposed Equal Rights Amendment; civil liberties after 9/11; strategies of resistance: in consumer culture, national politics, and education) Week 5 (October 8)– Religion and politics (separation of church and state – comparisons with Hungary; the Protestant heritage vs. religious diversity, the Bible Belt, religious conservatism and fundamentalism; Darwin vs. creationism; Christian scientists: business and religion; civil religion in America; abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice) Week 6 (October 15)– Elections (presidential and midterm elections, the stages of presidential elections: announcement, primaries, national convention, tv debates, election day, electoral college, inauguration; the 2000 election and the Supreme Court; absentee ballots and referenda at election time) Week 7 (October 22) – READING WEEK- NO CLASS Week 8 (October 29) – Immigration (definitions of immigration, early periods of immigration from Colonial times to 1870s, New immigration, quota systems, three groups in close-up: Hungarians, Chinese and Hispanics--comparisons, immigration policy after 9/11, the Diversity Visa (Green Card Lottery) and the Visa Waiver program of Bush) Week 9 (November 5) – Social issues (recent demographic patterns; ethnic and other minorities; African Americans and Native American Indians in the 20th and 21st centuries; race relations, affirmative action; multiculturalism; political correctness; social stratification and upward mobility; class in a classless society) Week 10 (November 12) – Environment and American cities (conservation and preservation, the origins and the current system of national parks, from the myth of the plenty to dependence on Saudi oil, endangered species, the Kyoto Accord; current trends in American urban development, (sub)urbanization, urban villages; etc.; regionalism revisited) Week 11 (November 19) - Guns and the military (gun ownership, gun control and the Second Amendment; the traditions, structure and subculture of the US military) Week 12 (November 26) – Everyday life I (media, newspapers and magazines, radio, television; communication: the internet revolution; advertising, shopping; personal finances: banking, consumer credit) Week 13 (December 3) – Everyday life II (education: public and private, K-12 and higher education; scholarships, standardized tests; sports: the big 4; technology and American culture; automobile nation; aviation; holidays)