Modern and Contemporary North American Literature

Code:

LLC124

Acronym:

LNAC

Instance: 2014/2015 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Anglo-American Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LA	2	LA - Study Plan	2	-	6	52	162
			3
LLC	96	Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2013_2014	2	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

This programme is designed to engage students in the analysis of novels representing the profound changes in sensibility which World War II led to in American letters. Drawing on a variety of critical, theoretical, historical, and cultural sources, this subject also concerns the contextualisation and study of the most distinguished moments in American narrative fiction, from the impact of World War II to postmodernist writing and multicultural sensibility. The programme structure shall naturally lead to a critical understanding of the main tendencies in the American novel of the 21st century.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the course, students shoud be able to:

a) Gain a deep knowledge of the main trends in Post-World War II American writing;

b) Develop the ability to read some of the Contemporary American fiction in relation to its historical and cultural contexts;

c) Deepen the knowledge of the various manifestations of postmodernist writing and of multiculturalism;

d) Become aware of the diversity of the American Novel in the 21st century.

 

Working method

Presencial

Program

Throughout the semester, this course will focus on relevant themes and trends of Contemporary American Literature: anxiety and identity crisis in the 1940's and 1950's; the affluent society and its paradoxes; conformism and counterculture; the travel narrative; African-American fiction and women's writing; postmodernity and postmodernism; the explosion of a hypermediatized society in the U.S.A.; patterns of quest in the American novel of the 21st century.

Mandatory literature

Jack Kerouac; On the Road, Penguin Deluxe Edition, 2007 [1957]
Toni Morrison; Song of Solomon, Vintage Books, 1988 [1977]
Don DeLillo; White Noise, Penguin, 2009 [1985]
Cormac McCarthy; The Road, Picador, 2008[2006]

Complementary Bibliography

Bloom, Harold 340; Toni Morrison.s Song of Solomon. ISBN: 9781604133929
Bloom, Harold 080 340; Don DeLillo.s White noise. ISBN: 0-7910-7044-1
Chandarlapaty, Raj; The^beat generation and counterculture. ISBN: 978-1-4331-0603-3
Cooper, Lydia R., 1980-; No more heroes. ISBN: 978-0-8071-3721-5
Duvall, John, 1956- 340; The^Cambridge companion to Don DeLillo. ISBN: 9780521870658
Frye, Steven 340; The^Cambridge companion to Cormac McCarthy. ISBN: 978-1-107-64480-9
Holladay, Hilary 340; What.s your road, man?. ISBN: 9780809328833
Laist, Randy; Technology and postmodern subjectivity in Don DeLillo.s novels. ISBN: 978-1-4331-0841-9
Leland, John; Why Kerouac matters. ISBN: 9780143114376
Murphet, Julian 340; Styles of extinction. ISBN: 978-1-4411-8505-1
Russell, Danielle; Between the angle and the curve. ISBN: 9780415976961
Stave Shirley A.,; Toni Morrison and the Bible. ISBN: 9780820469355

Comments from the literature

Additional references will be provided in the course of the semester.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Lectures, seminars (critical discussion of texts), and tutorials. Student participation is fundamental.

keywords

Humanities > Literature > American literature

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	104,00
Frequência das aulas	58,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students must attend 75% of all classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final exam (120 minutes)- 100%

Depending on the number of students attending the course on a regular basis, there is the possibility of another model of assessment, to be discussed at the beginning of the academic year:


Assessment and weighting:

a) A paper (2.500-4.000 words) or an oral presentation (maximum 20 minutes) on a specific topic, under the guidance and with the agreement of the course lecturer - 30%;

This component is mandatory for all students. To be delivered by the last week of classes.

Students whose essays come to be graded below 8 (i.e., 0-7) will have to submit a new essay or a revised version of the same. To be delivered before  the final exam.

Students  whose exams come to be graded below 8 (i.e., 0-7) will have to sit the exam again.

b) A written examination ( 120m) - 70%

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable

Classification improvement

Not applicable