EN-424 Cultural Myths and American National Identity
- ECTS Credits:
- 15
- Responsible department:
- Faculty of Humanities and Education
- Course Leader:
- Michael John Prince
- Lecture Semester:
- Spring
- Teaching language:
- English
- Duration:
- 1 term
The course is connected to the following study programs
Teaching language
EnglishPrerequisites
EN-410 and EN-411 (or the equivalent) must be completed.
Course contents
National myths account for a nations origins and present situation as well as suggesting a direction for future development via stories, scenarios, and narratives. This course treats cultural myths based upon history and / or science discourses. Analyses of canonical literature and popular media from Colonial times until today will describe and discuss diverse national myths, such as "the myth of the garden", "the myth of the American West" and progressive myths of race, imperialism, and economic and technological progress.
Learning outcomes
After completion of the class, the student will
-
be able to describe and explain the process of how scientific and scholarly discourses are transformed into cultural myth in the processes of repetition and simplification
-
be able to analyze the play between historical events and cultural myth in popular, narrative and representative media such as literature, film, television, and music
-
be able to identify and explain the growing skepticism to naturalizing national myths
Examination requirements
One short writing assignment (700 words) and one mid-term essay must be assessed as a pass.
Teaching methods
Seminars: Film and television episodes will be shown outside of class time. This course is taught in English; all target texts and secondary materials are in English. Estimated workload: Approximately 400 hours.
Evaluation
The study programme manager, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1.
Admission for external candidates
No
Offered as Single Standing Module
Yes. Subject to availability.
Assessment methods and criteria
A two-week take home essay. Graded assessment.
Reduction of Credits
This course’s contents overlap with the following courses. A reduction of credits will occur if one of these courses is taken in addition:
| Course | Reduction of Credits |
|---|---|
| EN-407 – Literature 4 | 15 |