AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES

The course is part of the graduate degree in American, European, and Postcolonial Languages and Culture, Language Sciences and Comparative International Relations (American curriculum). Its aim is to provide students advanced skill in and knowledge about the analysis of American culture through a multidisciplinary approach. Students are expected to develop autonomous critical skills and to be able to analyze and contextualize heterogeneous textual and visual cultural material, using a specific critical vocabulary.

This is an Advanced course in American cultural studies with the following learning goals:
a) development of students' critical skills by stimulating the elaboration of original ideas within a specific area of study
c) building students' analytical skills by adopting a multi- and interdisciplinary approach
d) development of independent and autonomous study through the possibility of personal research to be presented to the class.

Advanced knowledge of written and spoken English.
Ability to enrich the syllabus through individual research of material and independent study

The course focuses on the cultural representation of evangelical fundamentalism in the United States. The syllabus features heterogenous literary and visual materials.

Neil Campbell and Alasdair Kean. American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture (Chapter 4)
Barry Hankins. American Evangelicals (2008) selections
Harold Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware (1896), selection
Sinclair Lewis, Elmer Gantry (1927), selection (+ film adaptation by Richard Brooks, 1960)
Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, Inherit the Wind (1955) plus film adaptation by Stanley Kramer (1960)
James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time (1963), selection
Lee Smith, “Tongues of Fire” (1990)
Alexandra Pelosi, Friends of God (2007)
Sigrid Nunez, Salvation City (2010)

Most materials along with further introductory and critical readings will be available on the course's moodle.

a) Participation during classes is highly encouraged and will be evaluated positively. Attendance is not mandatory; however, participation in the group presentations and discussions in class is a fundamental contribution to the seminar.

b) Final oral exam of about 20 minutes. Students must be able to discuss a topic thoroughly. The exam is a critical discussion, whose aim is the assessment of the learning goals (knowledge of the historical and critical frame and of the texts; comparative and analytical skills; independent thought; communicative skills).
Primary and secondary sources are mandatory.

Seminar with class debates/discussions and active participation by students.

English

Please, check the announcements on the professor's page and on Moodle. Remember also to active and daily check your institutional mail (unive.it).

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development