Course objectives:
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Core Course 1 is conducted in English. An overview of the current cultural, economic and political spheres within the United States of America as reflected in authentic cultural artifacts. The emphasis is placed on the institutions, values, and interrelationships of these spheres in their geographic variation and the skills necessary to talk about them in English. The goal of the course is to give students a framework for understanding current events and behavior.
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Requirements on student
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Continual performance of tasks, credit test.
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Content
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Week 1
Introduction. A sociological snapshot of America today. Pre-contact America.
Including the indigenous cultures of North America and the empires of Central and South America.
Week 2
1st contacts with Europeans and colonial history
Relations between the Native Americans and European colonists. Jamestown and Plymouth. Salem witch hunt. Slavery and the Triangle Trade.
Week 3
The American Revolution
Causes and major milestones. The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
Week 4
Early 19th Century: Westward and Southward expansion
The relations Native Americans. The New England whaling industry. The Monroe Doctrine. The War of 1812. The Mexican-American War.
Week 5
Mid-19th Century: the US Civil War
Slavery, abolitionism and the Underground Railroad; North-South economic relations; the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation; Lincoln's assassination; Reconstruction
Week 6
Late 19th Century: the Industrial Revolution
Immigration from Europe and China; the building of the railroads; the genocide of Native Americans; migration to the North and the "Rust Belt"
Week 7
Beginning of the 20th Century
The Spanish-American War, foreign policy in Latin America; war in the Philippines; the Robber Barons. WWI, Sacco and Vanzetti
Week 8
The Great Depression
Prohibition; the origins of consumerism; the stock market crash, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl; FDR and the New Deal
Week 9
World War II; Relations with Europe; US entrance into the war; the Manhattan Project and the first use of the atomic bomb
Week 10
Race and culture in the US
The US tax system and funding of education; redlining and "white flight"; the development of the suburbs
Week 11
Contemporary topics
Major sources of energy at different periods; current events seen in historical context
Week 12 Credit test.
Week 13 CREDIT WEEK
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Activities
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Fields of study
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Guarantors and lecturers
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Literature
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Time requirements
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All forms of study
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Activities
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Time requirements for activity [h]
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Preparation for comprehensive test (10-40)
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36
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Contact hours
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26
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Preparation for formative assessments (2-20)
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16
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Total
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78
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Prerequisites
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Knowledge - students are expected to possess the following knowledge before the course commences to finish it successfully: |
demonstrate the knowledge of English at level B1 according to CEFR |
interpret texts from the field of American realia and reproduce their content and main ideas |
reproduce the content of video material dealing with American realia |
identify key issues from the field of historical development of the USA |
delimit the basic data related to the culture and society of the USA |
Skills - students are expected to possess the following skills before the course commences to finish it successfully: |
demonstrate specialized skills at the B1 level according to CEFR |
adequately respond to listening material in English |
actively engage in pair/group discussion on various topics dealing with American realia |
present and interpret the content and main topics of films and documents related to American realia |
independently summarize and interpret texts on the popular scientific level |
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Learning outcomes
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Knowledge - knowledge resulting from the course: |
define and summarize the current cultural, economic and political issues within the United States of America |
demonstrate the knowledge of English at the B2 level according to CEFR |
characterize the USA in a wider cultural context |
analyze the most important social and cultural issues in relation to the USA |
characterize in detail the stratification of American society |
Skills - skills resulting from the course: |
demonstrate specialized skills at B2 level according to CEFR |
analyze social developments in USA on the basis of theoretical concepts from the field of cultural studies |
present the content of specialized literature on Amerfican realia |
explain own standpoint related to the most important social and cultural issues in the USA |
critically work with the content of British and American media |
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Assessment methods
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Knowledge - knowledge achieved by taking this course are verified by the following means: |
Test |
Skills - skills achieved by taking this course are verified by the following means: |
Skills demonstration during practicum |
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Teaching methods
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Knowledge - the following training methods are used to achieve the required knowledge: |
Textual studies |
Collaborative instruction |
Discussion |
Seminar classes |
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