American Literature in the 20th and 21st centuries - MA Seminar 3

Master's seminars

The seminar will focus on North American literature and culture in the 20th and 21st century, in particular on the literature of the United States of America. Although the seminar will focus on US literature, it will also discuss elements of popular culture, internet culture, as well as texts of other North American Authors writing in English. The seminar will also provide students with the methodological and theoretical tools needed to successfully write an MA thesis.

The seminar will discuss on North American literature and culture in the20th and 21st century.

Although the seminar will focus on the US literature, it will also discuss such genres as film, poetry, music lyrics and internet media, including

short forms and video essays.

The seminar will cover the development of literature in the 20 th and 21 st century, the appearance of new literary genres and return of previously

existing ones to popularity. Key decades of the period the seminar is nterested in will be discussed, emphasizing the developments that

characterized them along with the impact they had on literature and culture.

The seminar will also provide students with the methodological and theoretical tools needed to successfully write an MA thesis (discussing,

inter alia, narratology poststructuralism, postmodernism, post-Marxist theories, theories concerning race and alterity, feminism).

The selection of authors to be discussed will be done in collaboration with students taking into consideration their research interests.

Felski, Rita. Limits of Critique. U of Chicago P, 2015.

Gocsik, Karen i Coleman Hutchinson. Writing About American

Literature. W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.

Nealon, Jeffrey i Susan Searls Giroux. The Theory Toolbox. Rowman

& Littlefield Publishers, 2003.

Klosterman, Chuck. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture

Manifesto. Faber and Faber, 2008.

Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.

Norton, 2001.

Kyvig, David E. Daily life in the United States 1920-1940. Ivan Dee,

2002.

Rossinow, Doug C. The Reagan Era: A History of the 1980s.

Columbia UP 2015.

Wybrane dzieła (powieści/opowiadania) najważniejszych pisarzy XX i

XXI wieku

K_W02 advanced knowledge of key methodologies and theories, contemporary trends and developments in the study of literature, culture and language, with particular emphasis on the English-speaking context;

K_W07 knows and understands the principles of designing advanced philological research, in particular, the creative application of methods and tools in formulating research problems and testing hypotheses;

K_W12 knows the principles and ethical norms in science;

K_U06 is able to evaluate the usefulness of various theoretical concepts for advanced philological research and for diverse practical applications;

K_U07 knows how to analyze research, define it, follow up on it, and conduct his own research tasks; knows how to formulate a problem and determine a method;

K_U10 knows how to proficiently search for information in various sources, evaluate its usefulness, interpret it in theoretical and practical terms in the English context;

K_K03 fully understands the ethical dimension of his/her activity and adheres to the principles of professional ethics;

K_K04 is ready to take full responsibility for his/her own work, at the same time recognizing and respecting the work of others;

K_K07 is able to express himself or herself coherently, clearly, logically and concretely in order to function effectively with others.

- attendance

- participation in discussions

- presentations

- criteria for the first semester are attendance and class participation.

- criteria for the second semester are attendance, class participation and

the preparation of a properly formatted bibliography.

- criteria for the third semester are the submission of a full chapter of

the MA thesis.

- criteria for the third semester are the submission of the complete text

of the MA thesis.

1 absence is allowed per semester

Progress in the writing of one’s MA thesis, in-class activity.