COURSE UNIT TITLE

: THE AMERICAN WEST

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 4045 THE AMERICAN WEST ELECTIVE 3 0 0 5

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

DOCTOR CARL JEFFREY BOON

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

This course focuses on a wide variety of issues related to the American West. Using an interdisciplinary method, the American West will be studies from historical, cultural, economic, and social perspectives. Positioning the West as a microcosm of American society, struggle for land and resources, as well as the myths and stories characterizing the West will be explored. In this respect, the students are exposed to all concepts and terms that are necessary to evaluate this area using films, memoirs, letters, and articles.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   To be acquainted with the political, social, economic, cultural, and historical events of the American West;
2   To know the basic terms, dates, concepts, and principals in order to understand the west;
3   To understand the facts and principals concerning the West;
4   To be able to find the reason and result relationship of the main events;
5   To able to apply these facts and situations to new and currents situations.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction to the American West Discussion
2 What is American West Frederick Jackson Turner, The Significance of the Frontier in American History
3 The American West in fact and myth Reading and Discussion
4 The American West in history Reading and Discussion
5 The geography of the West Reading and Discussion
6 The cultural geography of the West Reading and Discussion
7 The Western hero in fiction The Virginian by Owen Wister
8 Mid-term
9 The western hero in movies Examples from western movies
10 Women of the West Reading and Discussion
11 The Indian West Reading and Discussion
12 The Hispanic West Reading and Discussion
13 Different frontiers (ranching, mining, farming) Reading and Discussion
14 The West and its music Examples from music from the West

Recomended or Required Reading

Carlos Bulosan, America is in the Heart.
Kenneth L. Holmes (ed.), Covered Wagon Women, Volume 1: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1840-1849.
Walter Nugent and Martin Ridge (eds.) The American West: The Reader
Owen Wister, The Virginian.
JaneTompkins, West of Everything: The Inner Life of Westerns.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

* The students are required to identify the major issues dealt and discussed in the course material
* They are also asked to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of major facts relevant to the topics dealt in the class hours.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 FIN FINAL EXAM
3 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.40 + FIN * 0.60
4 RST RESIT
5 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.40 + RST * 0.60


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

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

A comparative method will be employed to analyze competing definitions of the frontier and the West; measure the importance of culture and environment in shaping society; and view historical developments from a variety of perspectives.

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)

carl.boon@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

Tuesdays 14.00-16.00

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 3 39
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 4 52
Preparation for midterm exam 1 15 15
Preparation for final exam 1 20 20
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 132

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14
LO.1555555
LO.2555555
LO.3555555
LO.4555555
LO.5555555

CONTACT INFORMATION
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