The aim of the course is to familiarise students with selected texts, authors, genres, movements, and trends of American literature from its early, colonial history to its contemporary development. Students will work with texts and other cultural artefacts including literature, movies, and articles in order to acquaint themselves with American literature and acquire skills which will allow them to analyse and discuss creative texts, focusing on their role in the ELT classroom and relevant methodologies (including selected topics from children’s literature); as part of the process, students will improve their passive and active vocabulary. All in-class materials including the course syllabus are available on MS Teams.

Final Essay

The Essay is designed to assess students’ ability to analyse creative texts and work with information and vocabulary related to the topics covered during the seminar; 600–650 words.

In-class Presentation

Each student s expected to give at least one short in-class presentation (max 5 mins.) either summarising the discussion of the previous class or presenting a creative text; presentation topics need to be approved by the teacher.

 Lectures on American Literature (M. Procházka, et al.) ISBN: 978-80-246-1996-5; Od puritanism k postmodernismu (M. Bradbury) ISBN: 80-204-0586-0; The Norton anthology of American literature 1. – 2. (Nina Bay med.) ISBN: 0-393-96461-2 (vol. 1), 0-393-96462-0 (vol. 2) ; A brief history of American literature (Richard Gray) 978-1- 4051-9230-9; Literary criticism: an historical introduction (Martin Procházka) ISBN: 978-80-246-1479-3; A companion to the modern American novel 1900 – 1950 (J. T. Matthews) 978-0-631-20687-3. 

Colonial Literature and the Literature of the Early Republic

The Romantic Period

Realism and Naturalism

Modernism

American Literature after WWII: Modern Drama

American Literature after WWII: the Beat Generation and Metafiction

American Literature after WWII: “Minority” Literatures

Contemporary Literature