COURSE UNIT TITLE

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to examine the history of the labour movement in the United States as it responded to the challenges of the economic development. It also examines the conditions of life and work of various groups of working people. In this respect, how certain aspects of race, ethnicity, class, and gender contributed to the solidarity movements is also analyzed.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Recomended or Required Reading

Thomas Bell, Out of this Furnace (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1976)
Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward (Dover, 1996).
Bruce Laurie, Artisans into Workers: Labor in Nineteenth-Century America (University of Illinois Press, reprint edition, 1997).
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (Vintage, 1990)
Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano (Delta, 1999)

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

The classes are designed as to give the students
* a better understanding of the conditions and consciousness of working people in U.S. history;
* the key events of labour history and reasons of their importance;
* the importance of working people and their organizations in the United States history;
* the opponents of workers' interests and the sources of their power.

Assessment Methods

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

The students are expected to
* identify major developments in U.S. labour history;
* write a clear and coherent analysis of literary texts dealt during class hours;
* be able to analyze the labour history of the U.S. critically;
* gain an understanding of the trade union movement through an historical perspective;
* gain insight into the dynamic role of the labor movement in American history;
* comprehend how changes in the working class and the economy impact on labour organization, political strategy and goals.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

* According to the university policy the students are required to attend 70% of all scheduled classes.
* The students are required to come to the classes having read the assigned text.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

To be announced.

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes