American literature for language teachers II 4100-IIIMLITAM
The course is an overview of American literary forms and their adaptations to English language teaching, basing on a periodization of the history of American literature. in secondary schools and in English language courses in higher education institution, and in adult teaching.
The course explores various American works and is devoted to the latest trends and issues such as Modernism, Postmodernism, drama and current developments in American ethnic literature. The students are also presented with selected critical commentaries and samples of literary theory. It also aims to acquaint participants with various ways of using American literature for ELT purposes in secondary school and higher education institution, and in adult teaching. Analyzed are short stories, autobiographies, poetry, theatrical adaptations, manifestations of American literary texts in popular culture.
Thematic scope:
1. American ethnic myths and legends
2. American comic books and their superheroes
3. American fantasy/ science fiction
4. American short stories
5. American autobiographies
6. American verse
7. American drama and movie adaptations for teenagers and adults
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:
K_W01 to an in-depth degree chosen facts, theories, institutions, processes, and phenomena related to the field of studies teaching foreign languages: literary studies, American literature, which have practical application in teaching foreign languages at the third educational stage and in adult and higher education
K_W02 essential terminology relating to: literary studies, American literature relevant to the teaching of foreign languages
K_W21 the core curriculum for teaching English at the third educational stage and language teaching requirements in higher education
Skills: the graduate is able to:
K_U01 search, analyse, evaluate, select and use information, using a variety of sources and methods, including advanced information and communication techniques, in Polish and English
K_U04 apply the assumptions and requirements of the core curriculum for teaching English at the third educational stage, and the requirements for language teaching in higher education
K_U21 speak and write consistently and precisely in Polish and in English on topics related to educational matters, applying different theoretical approaches and using findings from other disciplines related to the field of studies
Social competences: the graduate is prepared to:
K_K03 take responsibility for the promotion and preservation of the cultural heritage of the region, country and Europe
K_K06 interact and work in a group, performing various roles
K_K09 participate in cultural and social issues through the use of a variety of media
Assessment criteria
Reading the assigned texts is obligatory as well as active participation in class, based on attentive reading, discussion (20% of the grade) At the end of the semester, students sit a test which is a combination of open and multiple choice questions (50% of the final grade).
preparation to and oral presentation of a lesson plan (30% of the final grade)
Presentation grading scheme: 30% (high quality content and editing, originally designed materials) – 5,0; good quality – 4,0; good content but a few of mistakes – 3,0; poor quality and numerous mistakes – 2,0
Reading all materials and performing all tasks on the Moodle platform is obligatory - verification during in-class meetings.
Attendance is obligatory, allowed are two absences.
Verification methods may change before the course commencement due to the fact that its participants may potentially utilize AI tools i.e. ChatGPT to complete their assignments. The changes will be announced during the first in-class meeting in the winter semester 2024/25.
Test grading scheme:
100%- 93% - 5,0
92% - 84% - 4,5
83% - 75% - 4,0
74% - 66% - 3,5
65% - 60% - 3,0
<60% - 2
Bibliography
Baym, N., et al. (eds.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vols. I and II. Norton, New York, 1994.
Beaty, J. & Hunter, J.P., New Worlds of Literature, Norton & Company, W. W., New York, 1994.
Bradbury, M. & Ruland, R., From Puritanism to Postmodernism: A History of American Literature, Viking, New York, 1991.
Dealnoy, W., et al. (eds.) Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom, Peter Lang, Franfurt am Main, 2015.
Elliott, E., American Colonial Writers 1606-1734, Gale Research Co., Detroit, Mich., 1984.
Elliott, E., American Colonial Writers 1735-1781, Gale Research Co., Detroit, Mich., 1984.
Greenberg, M.H. (ed.), Great Stories of the American West II, Berkeley Books, New York, 1997.
Hart, J.D. (ed.), The Oxford Companion to American Literature, OUP, Oxford, 1995.
High, P.B., An Outline of American Literature, Longman, London, 1989.
Jones, S.W. (ed.), Growing up in the South: An Anthology of Modern Southern Literature, Mentor, New York, 1991.
Kenner, H., The Pound Era, University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles, 1974.
Kostalanetz, R. (ed.), American Writing Today, 2 vols., Forum Series, United States International Communication Agency, Washington DC, 1982.
Lauter, P. (ed.), The Heath Anthology of American Literature, 2 vols., 3rd ed., Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York, 1998.
Lewicki, Z. (ed), A Handbook of American Literature for Students of English, US Embassy Cultural Section, Warsaw, 1990.
Litz, A. W. (ed.), Major American Short Stories, OUP, New York & Oxford, 1994.
Marlow Elizabeth McCallum, How to Teach Literature: A Practical Teaching Guide, WestBow Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan, 2017.
Mazur, Z. (ed.), The College Anthology of American Literature, Universitas, Kraków, 1998.
McQuade, D. (ed.), The Harper Single Volume of American Literature, 3rd ed., Longman, New York, 1999.
Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. 1995 ed.
Perkins, D., A History of Modern Poetry, 2 vols., the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., & London, 1976.
Rubin, L.D., The Faraway Country: Writers of the Modern South, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1963.
Richler M, (ed.), The Best of Modern Humor, Knopf, A.A., New York, 1983.
Salska, A. (ed.), Historia literatury amerykańskiej XX wieku. Vols. 1 and 2. Universitas, Kraków, 2003.
Soter, Anna O., Young Adult Literature and the New Literary Theories: Developing Critical Readers in Middle School, Teachers' College Press, New York, 1999.
Stobaugh James, American Literature: Cultural Influences of Early to Contemporary Voices: High School Level Student, 2nd print., Master Books, 2013.
Summer, T. (ed.), Culture and Literature in EFL Education: Relating Theory to Practice, Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main, 2019.
VanSpanckeren, K. Outline of American Literature: Revised Edition, US Department of State, 1994.
Velie, A. (ed.), American Indian Literature: An Anthology, Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1979.
Wagner-Martin, L. A History of American Literature: 1950 to the Present, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, 2013.
Wagner-Martin, L. & Davidson, C.M. (eds.), The Oxford Book of Women's Writing in the United States, OUP, Oxford & New York, 1995.
Wiget, A. (ed.), Critical Essays on Native American Literature, Hall, G.K. Boston, Mass., 1985.
Williford, L. & Martone, M. (eds.), The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: Fifty North American Stories Since 1970, Scribner Paperback Fiction, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999.
Wilmeth, D.B. (ed.), The Cambridge History of American Theatre, CUP, New York, 1998
Wright Andrew, Storytelling with Children, Oxford University Press, 2009.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: