COURSE UNIT TITLE

: AMERICAN THEMES AND ISSUES

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 5004 AMERICAN THEMES AND ISSUES ELECTIVE 3 0 0 7

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR NILSEN GÖKÇEN ULUK

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to understand the politics of the United States in the second half of the 20th century by dealing with the important cultural, economical, and social events of the time.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Understand the important historiography of the time;
2   Have a mastery of the cultural, economical and social events of the time;
3   Attain an interdisciplinary knowledge of the period;
4   Develop critical thinking skills;
5   Raise questions about current political issues by using the data acquired during the classes.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction and organization Introduction and organization
2 The Second World War Reading and Discussion
3 The Cold War and 1950s Prosperity Reading and Discussion
4 The culture of the postwar United States Reading and Discussion
5 Domestic programs and foreign policies of the Kennedy and Johnson Reading and Discussion
6 The causes and results of the American Civil Rights Movement Reading and Discussion
7 The counterculture Reading and Discussion
8 Class Discussion Class Discussion
9 American involvement in the Vietnam War Reading and Discussion
10 The causes and results of the downfall of the Nixon administration Reading and Discussion
11 Society under the Ford administration Reading and Discussion
12 Society under the Carter administrations Reading and Discussion
13 Society under the Reagan Administration Reading and Discussion
14 Society and foreign policy under the Bush Administrations Reading and Discussion

Recomended or Required Reading

Textbook(s):
Dollar, Charles, and Gary Reichard. American Issues: A Documentary Reader.Blacklick, OH: Glencoe, 1994.
Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition. New York: Vintage, 1989
Madaras, Larry, and James M. SoRelle. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American History, Volumes One and Two, Guilford, CT: Dushkin Publishing Group Inc., 2002.
Schilesinger, Arthur. The Cycles of American History. First Mariner Books: New York, 1999.
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States, Harper Collins, 2010.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

* Read the text before coming to the class;
* Collaborate with other students to enhance learning;
* Complete all class activities and writings on time.

Assessment Methods

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


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

It is important to read the assigned material before coming to the classes.

Assessment Criteria

The students are asked to
* identify the major issues dealt and discussed in the course material;
* demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of major facts relevant to the topics;
* determine which information he / she needs;
* evaluate and analyze the given information;
* make use of the information by documenting sources;
* write a paper observing all the rules of MLA format.

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 class having read the assigned text.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Address:Faculty of Letters Building Office A 104
E-mail: nuray.onder@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

By appointment

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 1 10 10
Preparation for final exam 1 15 15
Preparing assignments 1 20 20
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 6 78
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 168

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14PO.15PO.16
LO.155
LO.25
LO.35
LO.45
LO.55

CONTACT INFORMATION
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Phone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35

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