COURSE UNIT TITLE

: INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN CULTURE

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 2025 INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN CULTURE COMPULSORY 3 0 0 4

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR LEMAN GIRESUNLU

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

This course introduces students to major intellectual trends in American culture from the Turn of the Century until the 1950s.
The course is inclusive of major art works, architectural styles, cultural artifacts, literary works, intellectual trends,
thoughts and values as part of the evolution and transformation underwent in the United States.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Students will acquire skills to collect information about cultural objects: identifying, recognizing, perceiving and remembering.
2   Students will acquire skills in hearing in English about cultural objects. In this respect corresponding documentaries will serve as tools in audio/visual education.
3   Students will acquire skills in paraphrasing newly acquired information.
4   Students will acquire skills in describing texts in various formats.
5   Students with access to teaching material provided on course blog will learn to persue their sudies at all times.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 introduction Introduction to American Studies/Culture studies/Gender Studies/Popular Culture etc. Subject areas, chronological perspective, interdisciplinary studies and contemporary academic trends in the area.
2 Introduction to American Studies Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology
3 Reforms in the USA in the 1900; Urbanisation Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology
4 Reforms in the usa in the 1900; Urbanisation Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology
5 Literature Upton Sinclair; Edith Warthon; Theodore Dreiser; Frank Baum Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology reading--paraphrase
6 Art: Art Nouveau Vs. Art Deco Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology reading--paraphrase
7 Art: Arts and Crafts Movement,Landscaping and F.L. Olmstead Lecture power point/documentary
8 Midterm
9 Thornstein Weblen, the theory of the Leisure Class,Max Weber, The Protestant Work Ethic Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology
10 Turn of the Century artistic trends and architecture Modernists; The Armory Show; Ash Can School; Precisionism and Technologic America; Frank L. Wright Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology reading--paraphrase
11 Modernist art --continued: Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby; Native American art and Western Modernism; Pueblo Style; Georgia O Keefe; Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology reading--paraphrase
12 Modernist art--continued, Architecture Skyscrapers, New York: Art Deco, Fritz Lang, Metropolis, Utopia versus dystopia; Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology reading--paraphrase
13 The New Deal; F.D. Roosevelt 1932; The Works Progress Administration; Murals; Rockefeller Center; Public Art; The Hoover Dam (1935); Migration from South to North and its effects on art 1930s; Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series (Painter). Bölgeciler; Edward Hopper (Painter) ve New York. Lecture power point/documentary viewing/new terminology reading--paraphrase
14 Evaluation

Recomended or Required Reading

1) Corresponding documentary, movie, introducing cultural and artistic objects and personae.
Such audio visual maybe object to change each year. (i.e. Georgia O Keeffe, Norman Rockwell)
2) Course lecture and power point print-outs.
3) Works of Literature (in English); Various Reference material including the web.
4) The Course Blog and its content.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Classes
1. All selected teaching material; written and visual are to be notified prior to the semester. Syllabi maybe altered with due notice. Lectures maybe inclusive of power point presentations; black board use, and handouts.
2. Teaching material is posted on the blog site (online) allowing for duly class preparation.
3. audio/visualresources will be employed in learning.
Computer applications:
4. The Course Blog constitutes of a teaching aid disseminating corresponding audio visual texts, as well as class related announcements.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE 1 MIDTERM EXAM 1
2 FIN FINAL EXAM
3 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE 1 * 0.50 + FIN * 0.50
4 RST RESIT
5 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE 1 * 0.50 + RST * 0.50


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Exams:
Throughout the semester two (2) exams will be administered.
Midterm: (%40)
Midterm exam will be in test form, inclusive of multiple choice, fill in the blanks, open ended
type questions. This exam aims to test student understanding of acquired information.
Final: (%60)
Final exam will be in test form, inclusive of multiple choice, fill in the blanks, open ended type
questions. This exam aims to test student understanding of acquired information.
home works/quizzes (%10) maybe administered as well.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1) Class attendance is compulsory (%70)
2) Students held exempt from class participation, are responsible from current years course content.
3) Students are expected to adhere with academic code of ethics.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Faculty of Letters

Office Hours

to be announced

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 13 1 13
Preparation for final exam 1 18 18
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 1 18 18
Final 1 6 6
Midterm 1 6 6
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 100

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14
LO.14553
LO.234545
LO.3553555355
LO.4555
LO.534444