ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 99 Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 24 Interactive Classroom: 24 Total: 150
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: English and German Philology
Areas: English Philology
Center Faculty of Philology
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
The general purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the culture of the USA and the Commonwealth, focusing on a series of essential concepts that have contributed to the creation of a distinctive American tradition. We will attempt to place these concepts in their historical context we shall try to improve our understanding of the culture and traditions of the people of the USA, leaving behind stereotyped visions and useless prejudices.
1. Introduction to the History and Culture of the USA.
2. The First Americans: Native American people and Colonial America. Puritanism and its background.
Suggestion for case study: the Salem Witch Hunt trials.
3. THE 19TH CENTURY. "THE RECONSTRUCTION AND THE GILDED AGE"
Texts: "The Age of Innocence" (Edith Wharton 1920 / Martin Scorsese, 1993); "The Gilded Age" HBO
4. THE 20TH CENTURY.
The 1910s (World War I)
D.W. Griffith, The Birth of a Nation (1915)
5. The 1920s
Literature and film. The Lost Generation. F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Music. The Jazz Age.
The era of prohibition: gangsters, the temperance movement
6. The Great Depression (1930s)
Literature and film: The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940)
Arts, culture and society: the Works Progress Administration, and the Federal Arts Project: [Cradle Will Rock, Tim Robbins, 1999]
Photography, documentaries.
7. The 1940s & the The 1950s
The effects of World War II and the Post-War Era on US culture and traditions
The Hollywood Witch Hunt. The McCarthy era (through drama and film: The Crucible (Nicholas Hytner, 1996), Trumbo (Jay Roach, 2015),
High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), among others)
The Beatniks: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac
Music: Rock&Roll, R&B
8. The 1960s
The Civil Rights Movement. The Black Power Movement [Selma (Ava DuVernay, 2014), Betty and Coretta (Yves Simoneau, 2013), Mississippi Burning (Alan Parker, 1988), Ghosts of Mississippi (Rob Reiner, 1996)
9. The 1970s-1980s
The Vietnam War through artistic manifestations: Hair (1979), Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Hippies
Fashion, movies, music, TV: American Pop Culture (The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, 1972), science/fiction ( Star Wars, George Lucas, 1977),
(comedy: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jim Sharman, 1975)
10. The 1990s
Music: From Boy bands to Great female voices;
TV: "Friends", "The X-Files"; Films: "Titanic", "The Matrix"
11. THE 21ST CENTURY: The 2000 & The 2010s: cultural manifestations in America today: Obama, Trump, Biden
12. The American Revolution through its texts
The Road to Independence seen in different texts: documentaries [PBS Liberty: the American Revolution], Historical shows [John Adams (HBO, 2008); Turn: Washington Spies (AMC, 2014)]; Didactic Crash courses
13. The Civil War: North and South.
The Emancipation proclamation, on text and film: Lincoln (Spielberg, 2012)
The conflict between the North and the South: North and South (1985);
the myth of the old South: Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
Slavery: Roots (1977); Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
Boorstin, Daniel Jr. (ed) Estados Unidos. Una civilización. Barcelona: Labor, 1974.
Brogan, Hugh. The Penguin History of the United States of America. Londres: Penguin, 1985.
Burns, M. John et al. The National Experience. A History of the United States of America. Nueva York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1963.
Cook, Chris. Longman Handbook of Modern American History 1763-1996. Londres: Longman, 1994.
Crothers, George. American History. Nueva Cork: Holt, Rinehart and Wnston, 1964.
Fawcet, Edmund and Tony Thomas. America, Americans. Londres: Collins, 1983.
Forner E and J. A. Garraty (eds). The Reader’s Companion to American History. Boston: Houghton/Mifflin, 1991.
Johnson, Paul. A History of the American People. Londres: Phoenix Press, 1997.
Johnson, Thomas H. The Oxford Companion to American History. Nueva York: Oxford UP, 1966.
Jones, Maldwyn A. The Limits of Liberty. American History 1607-1992. Nueva York: Oxford UP, 1995.
Mauk, David and John Oakland. American Civilization. An Introduction. Londres y Nueva York: Routledge, 1997.
Morrison, Samuel Eliot. The Oxford History of the American People. Nueva York: Oxford UP, 1965.
Nevins, Allan. A History of the American People from 1492. Londres: Oxford UP, 1970.
Purvis, Thomas. A Dictionary of American History. Cambridge, Ma: Blackwell, 1997.
Silverman, Jason. American History Befote 1877. Nueva York: McGraw-Hill, 1989.
Zeuske, Max. A Short History of the United States of America. Leipzig: Verlag, 1989.
ONLINE RESOURCES: Digital History; 19th century U.S. History online;
19th century U.S. HISTORY SITES ONLINE: URL https://public.wsu.edu/~amerstu/19th/hist.html>
19TH CENTURY AMERICA: URL http://www.teacheroz.com/19thcent.htm>
AMERICAN REVOLUTION: URL https://www.americanrevolution.org/histlinks.php
American Social and Intellectual History:
URL https://www.tamut.edu/academics/mperri/AmSoInHis/F%2008/AmSoInHist%20(f…
Digital History URL http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/index.cfm
OUTLINE OF AMERICAN HISTORY: URL http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/history-2005/>
Portrait of the USA: URL https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/factover/homepage.htm>
MISCELÁNEO
BETSY ROSS AND THE AMERICAN FLAG: URL https://www.ushistory.org/betsy/>
THE 1860S IN WESTERN FASHION: URL https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1860s+in+fashion>https://public.wsu.edu/~amerstu/19th/hist.html>
CB1, CBS, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG1, CG8 of the Verified Report
The following competences, skills and abilities are to be developed by the students:
- Reading comprehension and analysis of historical and literary texts
- Capacity for relating historical events and cultural developments
- Debating
- Responsibility for their own work
- Stimulation of critical and independent thought
- Acceptance of cultural diversity
- Creativity
- Practice and consolidation of written and spoken English
- Independent research abilities
The didactic method that will be employed has the students at its core, so we will try to encourage their involvement and commitment, with a participatory attitude through various practical activities.
Although it is true that the contents of the subject are susceptible to a more theoretical explanation, we will try to combine the theoretical approach with one much more practical. Therefore, the exposition of the contents of each unit will be supported by the use of illustrative materials such as maps, photocopies of historical documents, films and/or documentaries, portraits and biographies of relevant historical characters, articles, etc. will support the contents of each unit.
In general, the lecturer will provide an approach to the introductory contents in the first units of the syllabus, and will give an example of how a topic is prepared. Throughout the course, the students will be required to produce autonomous work that will comprise the continuous evaluation of the subject.
The continuous evaluation will be carried out considering the following activities related to the practical part of the subject: debates, reading and/or summarizing texts and/or articles or answering questions about them, presentations (individual or in small groups) on a topic to be chosen from the list of contents.
The activities will be handed in/performed within the deadline stipulated by the teachers. Otherwise, the assignment will not be considered for continuous assessment.
All these activities will be included in the personal portfolio of each student and will be taken into account in the continuous evaluation. This will strengthen the sense of responsibility since students participate in the continuous evaluation process and are responsible for completing their work throughout the course.
The teacher will monitor student attendance and participation.
The assessment system will be continuous for the whole subject (100%), and will entail various aspects
PARTICIPATION (15% of the final mark)
o This item will value the students' participation in the weekly class activities (small group/ individual tutorials, classes, etc) as well as their input in their personal portfolio.
• FORMAL FEEDBACK—(5% of the final mark)
1 written page of feedback. All students will give formal feedback to the rest of the students or groups on their presentations. This should comprise of positive comments, constructive criticism, suggestions for future presentations, and overall impressions. It should be up to 1 page double-spaced (500 words), following the items of a rubric provided by the lecturer
• COLLABORATIVE GROUP WORK: FINAL PROJECT (40% of the final mark, 20% per each debate)
All students will be divided into groups at the beginning of the year, and they will be assigned to work on two units of the syllabus (The American Independence and the Civil War), and in a workshop opened for each of the groups. They will have to prepare their contributions in their groups and will later present them in class/ defend their positions in a debate. This activity is designed to complement their individual work for the class presentation and provide them with relevant tools for their future professional work (like negotiation or the value of their individual input in the result of a group)
• INDIVIDUAL CLASS PRESENTATION (1/2 students per unit) (40% of the final mark)
*This will consist of the preparation, oral and written presentation in class of one of the topics of your choice, included in the syllabus.
* Each student (or small group of 2 students max) will be responsible of at least 1 hours of class time, and addressing the discussion on the topic assigned for that week. There is a lot of freedom in how to approach this assignment, but the final presentation should be engaging, interactive, and informative.
There are many topics and materials that can be employed to prepare the presentations, therefore it is important that the students should focus on the cultural rather than on the historical content, though a brief historical introduction to the period is advisable. Furthermore, they are also encouraged to choose a topic that is related to the syllabus.
*The choice of topic will be approved of by the lecturer, and the class presentation must also be REVISED with her during office hours at least ONE WEEK BEFORE the presentation is due.
IMPORTANT: only those projects that have been revised by the teacher will be presented in class.
The assessment system will be the same in May and in July.
ASSESSMENT FOR RETAKERS AND STUDENTS EXEMPT FROM CLASS ATTENDANCE
Both the students who are officially exempt from attending lectures and those re-taking the subject will contact the lecturer, who will assign the tasks they have to comply for a continuous evaluation to take place. In certain cases, they might prepare a presentation/essay in May and/or July.
ATTENDANCE: Except for those students who are officially exempt, attendance to 75% of the total sheduled hours is compulsory in order to present the activities for continuous evaluation. An attendance record will be kept in each session. It is necessary to sit the class until the end, except in justified cases such as physical indisposition
Absences must be notified within 5 days. Justified absences are those specified in the REGULAMENTO DE ASISTENCIA A CLASE NAS ENSINANZAS OFICIAIS DE GRAO E MÁSTER DA UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA do 25 de novembro de 2024, article 3
USE OF ENGLISH
Correctness in the use of English will be assessed globally
the accumulation of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, etc, will result in a penalty of up to 3 points in the final mark.
ERASMUS AND BILATERAL EXCHANGE STUDENTS
Erasmus and bilateral exchange students are welcome, as long as they have an adequate level of English (C1). Erasmus and bilateral exchange students will have the same evaluation system and the same attendance rules as the rest of the students, with no possibility of changes except those provided for in the regulations in force
FRAUD
No fraud will be tolerated, especially in activities and presentations, like any direct copy from internet sources. In case of any fraudulent exercise, presentation and/or exam, we will implement the rules included in article 16 of the "Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións”: "In case of fraudulent realization of exercises or tests, compulsory for the continuous evaluation of any given subject will bring about the grade of FAIL in the corresponding subject, independently of the disciplinary trial that might be pursued against the offender. It is considered fraudulent, among others, the presentation of plagiarized essays, or those obtained from sources available to the public, without the proper reelaboration, reinterpretation or quoted without naming the sources and its author(s)
Plagiarism and the "cut and paste" (both applied to presentations and written activities as well as in the final exam) will be penalized with a FAIL (Suspenso) in the subject.
The subject comprises 15 weeks, thus each unit will approximately take one course week.
Since this is an ECTS subject, the student will need 150 hours(including class attendance and preparation of in-class activities, compulsory readings, tutorials, debate contents)
Students should check the virtual classroom regularly, as it will be updated with each week’s topics and materials.
Students are invited to prepare well the materials, the resources (literary or technological) and the activities to create an intellectual and stimulating learning environment
The students are also encouraged to attend any type of extra-curricular activity that may bring them in contact with historical, social and cultural aspects of the history of the USA and the Commonwealth, such as attending plays or historical films shown at the cinema. Besides, the lecturer may suggest fiction books portraying American historical characters or narrating historical events of a certain period. Titles may be provided at the student’s request.
LAPTOP COMPUTERS, TABLETS, MOBILE PHONES AND SIMILAR DEVICES may be used during the development of the classes ONLY FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF TASKS RELATED TO THE LEARNING OF THE SPECIFIC CONTENT that is being taught and IN NO CASE SHOULD IT DISRUPT THE DUE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEACHING AND LEARNING AT THE TEACHER'S DISCRETION.
NO FOOD CONSUMPTION IS ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM DURING THE CLASSES.
The USC has additional tutorial support service to help diversity (students with specific needs). https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/inclusion- participacion-social. E-mail: sepiu.santiago [at] usc.es (sepiu[dot]santiago[at]usc[dot]es).
Patricia Fra Lopez
Coordinador/a- Department
- English and German Philology
- Area
- English Philology
- Phone
- 881811879
- patricia.fra [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
| Tuesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | English | C06 |
| 05.29.2026 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | D03 |
| 05.29.2026 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | D03 |
| 07.03.2026 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | C03 |
| 07.03.2026 09:30-13:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | C03 |