After successfully completing this course, students willhave a basic understanding of major issues, themes, and discourses of American cultural historybe familiar with basic meanings of race, class, and gender in a U.S. contexthave a basic knowledge of American media industriesbe prepared for the further study of American culture

Lecture; occasionally short in-class discussions of selected material; final exam.The course is designed as a blended class and will be partially taught online in an asynchronous mode with all materials -- including voice recordings  -- provided on Moodle also in weeks in which the lecture is taught in person. 

The lecture introduces students to major issues, themes, and discourses of American cultural history, as well as to some of the key concepts academic scholarship brings to analyzing this history. Instead of covering American history in a strictly chronological fashion, the course aims to convey a basic understanding of U.S. culture and society through interconnected thematic units which will help us explore the transformative meanings of major events in American history and the roles of democracy, republicanism, religion, immigration, urbanization and media culture in American society. 

All relevant literature will be made available via Moodle on a weekly basis.

On campus digital multiple choice exam (SPU) of 20 multiple choice questions without materials. Mobile devices (phones, tablets, smart watches, etc.) will be collected, students cannot use any notes or the internet. Students have a maximum of 45 minutes to submit their exam. It will be submitted automatically when exam time expires. The final grade depends on the number of correct answers: 19 to 20 correct = 1/A; 17 to 18 correct = 2/B; 13 to 16 correct = 3/C; 11 to 12 correct = 4/D (Pass Grade); 00 to 10 correct = 5/F (Fail Grade).Registration for a specific exam sitting via ZEUS is compulsory. Students who fail to sign up in the system beforehand cannot participate in a sitting. There will be three sittings of the exam, dates TBA.

Only material discussed in class will be part of the exam. 

Exam questions ask students to reproduce information from the lecture and to make connections, contextualise, and critically reflect upon information.