Curricular Unit:			Code:
Area Studies: Anglo-American Studies			1142EEAA
Year:	Level:	Course:	Credits:
2	Undergraduate	Political Science and International Relations	6 ects
Learning Period:		Language of Instruction:	Total Hours:
Winter Semester		Portuguese/English	78
Learning Outcomes of the Curricular Unit:
Understand British and North American realities and their historical relations, emphasising their different cultural manifestations, so as to acquire methodological skills and a critical positioning that allow a heuristic and analytical approach to differentiated artistic discourses. Starting from a historical contextualization, this c.u. focusses on the intercultural relations between the two countries, as well as on their contemporary artistic and cultural manifestations, focussing on the areas of literature, music, cinema, and the visual arts. LO1 (CP1): a brief incursion into the history of England and the USA is carried out, to establish the theoretical basis that will allow an understanding of the specificities of the cultural manifestations of both countries, as well as their points of convergence. LO2 (CP2): through a more practical and participatory approach, a varied corpus will be analyzed, whose selection intends to reflect the multifaceted reality of these two countries.
Syllabus:
CP1 1. Historical roots 1.1. The historical context of the United Kingdom 1.2. The historical context of the United States of America 1.3. ‘Dangerous pilgrimages’: intercultural relations between the two countries CP2 2. The most prominent cultural landmarks 2.1. Literature 2.1.1. British literature: literary movements and main authors 2.1.2. North American Literature: literary movements and major authors 2.2. Music 2.2.1. British musical manifestations: musicians, bands, composers and musical compositions 2.2.2. North American musical manifestations: musicians, bands, composers and musical compositions 2.3. Cinema 2.3.1. British cinema: styles, directors, films and actors 2.3.2. American cinema: styles, directors, films and actors 2.4. Visual arts 2.4.1. British visual arts: leading visual artists 2.4.2. The North American visual arts: leading visual artists
Demonstration of the Syllabus Coherence with the Curricular Unit's Objectives:
The syllabus is in line with the learning objectives described: CP1, at first, consolidates the previously existing knowledge about the historical path of both countries, intimately interconnected at an early stage and, later, solidifying their differences and specificities; then, in CP2, we proceed to the analysis and comment of several cultural manifestations in both countries, with emphasis on the most recent instances, exploring, once again, the specificities and points of contact between them. In this way, it is intended to expand the previously existing knowledge, diversifying the range of interests and opening up new research possibilities for students of Political Science and International Relations.
Teaching Methodologies (Including Evaluation):
Lectures and tutorial. In CP1, classes are expository (lectures). In CP2, participation in class is encouraged, promoting the discussion of the contents presented. There is also recourse to readings of critical texts and group work in class. The textual corpus analyzed in class, as well as the bibliography adopted, mainly consist of texts in English at the C1 level, thus contributing to reinforce the linguistic skills that are being consolidated in the c.u.s. of English language (levels 1, 2, 3 and 4), included in the curricular programme of the 1st cycle. Assessment, in principle, is continuous, and consists of two written tests and a written assignment, to be orally presented by the end of the semester. The final grade results from the weighting of the assessment elements: written tests: 25% + 25%%; oral presentation project: 50%. When the c.u. is not carried out by continuous assessment, the student can take a final exam, with a weighting of 100%.
Demonstration of the Coherence between the Teaching Methodologies and the Learning Outcomes:
The theoretical-practical methodologies adopted in this c.u. (with an emphasis on the continuous assessment of knowledge) encourage students to interpret, in an active and participatory way, cultural circumstances and phenomena pertaining to English and North American cultures. The aim is to consolidate the students' critical spirit, strengthening their abilities to gather, identify and interpret information from different cultural contexts. Writing the final work helps improve methodological skills, and its oral presentation reinforces oral skills, promoting debate in the classroom.
Reading:
Benton, J.R. (2022). The History of Western Art. Black, J. (2020). A New History of England. History Press. Bloom, H. (1994). The Western Canon. Harcourt Brace. Brackett, D. (2019). The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates, OUP Bradbury, M. (1995). Dangerous Pilgrimages.Secker & Warburg. Lauter, P. (ed) (2021). The Concise Heath Anthology of American Literature. Heath. Greenblatt, S. (2018). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. W.W. Norton. Hole, K. (ed.) (2018). The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender. Routledge. Hobsbawm, E. (1994). Age of Extremes. Michael Josephs Mathijs, E. & Sexton, J. (2020). The Routledge Companion to Cult Cinema. Routledge. Trevelyan, G.M. (1986). English Social History, Penguin. Outras referências serão indicadas (incluindo referências da b-on), de acordo com a especificidade dos pontos do programa.
Lecturer (* Responsible):
Elsa Simões (esimoes@ufp.edu.pt)