An interdisciplinary study of American culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An interdisciplinary examination of the American dream of success and its chief corollary, the myth of the self-made man in American life and literature. The history of American involvement in Vietnam after World War II and an examination of the effects of the Vietnam conflict on American society. An investigation of the decline of traditional American culture and the rise in the 1960s of the activist culture as manifested in literature, journalism, music, and alternative lifestyles. A descriptive analysis of English grammar.
Course also includes the study of contemporary standards of grammar and usage.
The focus is an exploration of themes, techniques, and perceptions to be gained from reading the female tradition from Charlotte Bronte to the present. The English Bible is a major influence, affecting literature, art, and ethics. This course examines the Bible not as inspiration but as a collection of stories and poetry. Considers history and doctrine, but major interest is in the literary aspect. The Burgher s Daughter, as well as plays, poetry, and essays by writers such as Wole Soyinka, Leopold Senghor, Christopher Okigbo, and others.