COURSE UNIT TITLE

: APOCALYPSE IN AMERICAN NARRATIVES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 4052 APOCALYPSE IN AMERICAN NARRATIVES ELECTIVE 3 0 0 5

Offered By

American Culture and Literature (English)

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EVRIM ERSÖZ KOÇ

Offered to

American Culture and Literature (English)

Course Objective

The aim of this course is to analyze and interpret apocalypse that appears as a popular and prominent genre in literary and visual narratives in America. This course traces the common elements in these narratives comparing the traditional and secular forms of apocalypse.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   To have information about the major themes in apocalyptic narratives
2   To understand the social, cultural, and historical contexts of the selected apocalyptic narratives
3   To use basic terms and concepts to describe apocalyptic narratives
4   To make connections between different works and ideas
5   To analyze the selected apocalyptic narratives from different perspectives and write critically about them integrating academic research

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction Introduction
2 Theoretical Background on apocalypse and apocalyptic literature Discussion
3 Bradbury, Ray. There Will Come Soft Rains Discussion
4 The Omega Man, I am Legend, Finch Discussion
5 Williams Tennessee. The Chalky White Substance Discussion
6 Wilder, Thornton. The Skin of Our Teeth Discussion
7 MIDTERM
8 Wilder, Thornton. The Skin of Our Teeth Discussion
9 Rivera, Jose. Marisol Discussion
10 Rivera, Jose. Marisol Discussion
11 Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes Part I: Millennium Approaches Discussion
12 Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes Part II: Perestroika Discussion
13 Kushner, Tony. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes Part II: Perestroika Discussion
14 Presentations
15 General Evaluation Wrap up
16 FINAL

Recomended or Required Reading

Selected narratives
Collins, John J. Apocalypse: The Morphology of A Genre Semeia 14. Atlanta: SBL. 1979.
Ketterer, David. New Worlds For Old: The Apocalyptic Imagination, Science Fiction, and American Literature. New York: Anchor Books, 1974.
Kermode, Frank. The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000.
Lewicki, Zbigniew. The Bang and the Whimper: Apocalypse and Entropy in American Literature. Westport: Greenwood P. 1984.
May, John R. Towards A New Earth: Apocalypse in the American Novel. London: U of Notre Dame P, 1972.
Reddish, Mitchell G. Apocalyptic Literature: A Reader. Nashville: Abingdon P, 1995.
Zimbaro, Valerie P. Encyclopedia of Apocalyptic Literature. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 1996.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lectures, text analysis, class discussions, visual presentations

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


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Students are expected to
1. have critical perspectives on the major issues discussed in the lectures
2. think analytically
3. refer to the primary texts in order to support their arguments.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

Students are expected to
1. attend 70% of the course schedule.
2. participate to in-class discussions
3. come to the classes having read the assigned text.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

evrim.ersoz@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

To be announced

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 14 3 42
Tutorials 0 0 0
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 14 4 56
Preparation for midterm exam 1 14 14
Preparation for final exam 1 14 14
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
Quiz etc. 0 0 0
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.15555
LO.255
LO.355
LO.455
LO.555