230538 Introduction to American Civilization (S) (SoSe 2006)

So what's wrong with George W. Bush? How did he get to be president? And Arnold in California? Are they all crazy over there on the other side of the Atlantic or what? But how come all the cool stuff -movies, music, food fads, fashion, slang, the Internet, B.A. degrees-- all comes from there too? How can we explain America? What is the power of American ideas and where do they come from? How successfully can they be transplanted? Where are the gaps between the ideal and the real? How does America work? Has everything changed since 9/11? Is New Orleans anything like New York or Wichita or Salt Lake City? What holds it all together and what tears it apart? It¿s too big and too powerful to ignore (like the 800 pound gorilla), so you might as well understand it and learn how to deal with it. Thinking about the United States will also force you to think about yourself and where you come from and (are coming from).

Since we will be viewing and discussing several full-length video materials, students should be prepared to spend a full 120 minutes in class during some weeks and/or find time in their weekly schedules for viewing in small groups in the Mediothek. There will be a final examination at the end of the course.