Información del Plan Docente

1. General information

2. Learning goals

3. Assessment (1st and 2nd call)

4. Methodology, learning tasks, syllabus and resources

4.1. Methodological overview

The primary objective of this course is the acquisition of a general knowledge about the history and the culture of the United States of America as well as the development of abstract thinking and critical skills for the analysis of written and audio-visual cultural texts. An active methodology is followed, favouring both individual and cooperative group work.

4.2. Learning tasks

This is a 6 ECTS course organized as follows:

• Lectures (1.2 ECTS: 30 hours). Sessions where the basic concepts of each unit are introduced.
• Practice sessions (1.2 ECTS: 30 hours). It involves individual and group work in which learners carry out a number of tasks aimed at the critical analysis of various cultural texts. Learners adopt a critical stance and apply their knowledge of U.S. history and culture to the analysis of texts.
• Individual and group tutorials (0.3 ECTS: 7.5 hours). Monitoring the different steps in the writing of an individual academic essay.
• Autonomous work (2.7 ECTS: 67.5 hours). Reading of compulsory bibliography, viewing of audio-visual texts, and on-line work. Learners will be provided with detailed information as regards individual work in class and/or on the Moodle platform.
• Assessment tasks (0.1 ECTS: 2.5 hours). Written exam (theory and practice). Submission of an individual essay, if applicable.

4.3. Syllabus

This course will address the following topics:

• Topic 1. U.S. Physical and Human Geography. Mayor mountain and river systems. Climate. Cultural and economic regions. Waves of immigration. Ethnic and racial diversity.
• Topic 2. The Invention of America. The Foundational Myths of American Society. National Identity and Symbols.
• Topic 3. Historical Overview: Colonial America. American Republic: A New Nation.
  A Divided Nation: Antebellum America. Towards a Global Presence, 1870-1920. The US in the Twentieth Century. Toward an American Century. Post-Cold War. Globalization and Its Discontents.
• Topic 4. Political Institutions. U.S. Congress. U.S. Presidency. Supreme Court. Electoral System.

4.4. Course planning and calendar

Further information concerning the timetable, classroom, office hours, assessment dates and other details regarding this course, will be provided on the first day of class or please refer to the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts website (academic calendar: http://academico.unizar.es/calendario-academico/calendario,  timetable: https://fyl.unizar.es/horario-de-clases#overlay-context=horario-de-clases; assessment dates: https://fyl.unizar.es/calendario-de-examenes#overlay-context=)