230747 Englisch: Level C1 English culture and language (S) (WiSe 2022/2023)

-- Bitte beachten Sie, dass dieser Kurs nur online verfügbar sein wird. Alle Lehrveranstaltungen werden mit Zoom und Lernrnraum+ durchgeführt./Please note that this course will be online only. All lessons will be given using Zoom and Lernrnraum plus.

In this course we will study US American society, culture and history by focusing on specific geographic regions of the United States and examining their place in US history and culture, using fictional and non-fictional texts, film excerpts, songs and paintings.

The five regions we will focus on are:

1) Colonial life and the American Revolution in New England (Pilgrims, Salem Witch Trials, Walt Whitman, Arthur Miller and 'The Crucible', Robert Frost);

2) the American South and the Civil War ( Slave Narratives; 'Gone With the Wind' and 'Beloved');

3) the Mid-West and the Industrial Age (Carl Sandberg 'Chicago', Upton Sinclair 'The Jungle');

4) the Great Plains ( The Trail of Tears, 'Indian Removal Act' 'Little House on the Prairie') and the Transcontinental Railroad and

5) Spanish Missions and "California Dreaming".

This course will provide students with a survey of the most important historical, social and cultural developments in the United States.

• Socio-Cultural objectives:
o To engage with the English language through English speaking cultures
o To understand, analyse, and debate social and cultural issues
• Pragmatic objectives:
o Summarize materials, present information verbally and in writing, express, question, and re-evaluate one’s opinion in classroom discussions.
o Understand long form texts, videos, and audio files
o Select and organise ideas, create a structured presentation, write long texts in clear and cohesive language.

Requirements for participation, required level

Successful completion of a course rated B2 or placement test (to be announced).