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| LGER0044-1 | US literature and civilisation
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| Duration : | 30h Th |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Michel Delville |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| English language |
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Organisation and examination :
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| Teaching in the first semester, review in January |
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Course contents :
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| American Literature and the God Debates
Prof. David Caplan (Ohio Wesleyan University)
This class will consider how contemporary American writers grapple
with the idea of God. We will start with the "God debates," the
highly contentious and charged discussions of contemporary religion
and its perceived influence. We will read polemics and demographic
surveys, seeking to understand how American culture has been called
both "secular" and hyper-religious. The main bulk of the semester,
thought, will be devoted to novels and poems that consider the roles
that religion plays in American life, whether as a political force, a
source of spiritual sustenance, a family marker, or the inspiration
for violent hypocrisy. |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| At the end of this class students will have acquired the necessary knowledge to understand the roles that religion plays in American life, whether as a political force, a
source of spiritual sustenance, a family marker, or the inspiration for violent hypocrisy. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| face-to-face |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| REQUIRED TEXTS:
Robert Olmstead, Coal Black Horse (New York: Algonquin Books, 2007)
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (New York: Picador; 2006) |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| Written paper |
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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Contacts :
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| Prof. David Caplan
dmcaplan@owu.edu |
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