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Seminar: The American Creed: An Exploration of America´s Foundational Values and Beliefs - Aufbaumodul - Details
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General information

Course name Seminar: The American Creed: An Exploration of America´s Foundational Values and Beliefs - Aufbaumodul
Course number ANG.03757.02, ANG.05272.03
Semester SS 2018
Current number of participants 8
maximum number of participants 20
Home institute British and American Studies
Courses type Seminar in category Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen
First date Thursday, 05.04.2018 10:15 - 11:45
Studiengänge (für) LAG, LAS, LAF,
BA Anglistik und Amerikanistik 60/90 LP
LAG, LAS, LAF ab WS 2012/13
BA Anglistik und Amerikanistik 60/90 LP ab WS 2013/14
SWS 2
Miscellanea ANG.03757.02 für LAG, LAS, LAF, BA Anglistik und Amerikanistik 60/90 LP
ANG.05272.03 für LAG, LAS, LAF ab WS 2012/13, BA Anglistik und Amerikanistik 60/90 LP ab WS 2013/14
ECTS points 5

Rooms and times

No room preference
Thursday: 10:15 - 11:45, weekly(14x)

Module assignments

Comment/Description

With the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, much of what has been regarded as solid and stable in American politics and culture seems to have been called into question. In response to a number of unconventional political decisions, critical voices have expressed concern that America might undergo a fundamental change under this president. In November 2017, New York Times journalist Thomas B. Edsall wrote that "Trump has gravely damaged the premises and procedures that undergird American democracy." The president himself, however, continues to promise the American people that he will "make America great again."

This class takes its cue from these contradictory visions of America to explore what might be seen as the foundational values of a nation, often called the "oldest democracy in the world," that originated from the famous belief that "all men are created equal." Since the time of the Declaration of Independence, and perhaps even before that, the United States of America has seen itself as an exceptional nation, different from – and better than – other countries. By examining primary documents, including presidential speeches, legislative acts, letters, essays, as well as research literature, this class will familiarize students with a central aspect of American history and culture and stimulate reflection on the current state of affairs in American political and cultural life.

Students interested in signing up for this class must be prepared to participate actively in class and to commit themselves to weekly reading and writing assignments. Reading material will be made available in the course of the semester.

Please use Stud.IP to register for this class. ILIAS will be used as an online communications platform during the semester. Make sure that you have access to it, and enroll as soon as this specific webspace has been opened (look under "Lernobjekte").

Admission settings

The course is part of admission "Beschränkte Teilnehmeranzahl: The American Creed: An Exploration of America´s Foundational Values and Beliefs - Aufbaumodul".
Erzeugt durch Migration 128 08:37:17 08/21/18
The following rules apply for the admission:
  • A defined number of seats will be assigned to these courses.
    The seats will be assigned in order of enrolment.
  • The enrolment is possible until 21.04.2018, 23:59.