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Advanced English: Reading American Culture
Spring 2013
Instructor: Dr. Kai-ling Liu
e-mail address: kailing@mail.ncku.edu.tw
Class hours: M09:10-11:00 Classroom: Weinong Bldg. Room 7117
Office hours: By appointment.
Course Description
With short stories, excerpts of novels, and film adaptations of literary works, this
course aims to initiate students into perceiving American culture from the aspects of
ethnic diversity and consumer culture. By the end of the semester, you should be able
1. To identify the major elements of the three discussed aspects of American culture.
2.
3.
4.
5.
To summarize the main points of texts read in class.
To illustrate the similarities and differences between two or more readings.
To express how the readings reflect the aspects of American culture.
To apply classroom readings to your own real-life experiences.
Readings: Handouts
Grading Criteria
Attendance 10% One absence (whatever the reason) will be excused. One point will
be deducted for the second and each of the subsequent absence, regardless of the
reasons. One lateness for class will result in a 0.5% loss of points.
Group discussion and presentation 20%
Mid-term exam 25% Vocabulary, Reading comprehension, Analysis of the readings
Final exam 25% Vocabulary, Reading comprehension, Analysis of the readings
Class Schedule
W01 02/18M 1. Course introduction
Cultural Diversity
W02 02/25M 1. Cultural Diversity in the US
W03 03/04M 1. Sui Sin Far. “Mrs. Spring Fragrance.” Center for the Study of the
Pacific Northwest. University of Washington. n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2013.
W04 03/11M 1. Sui Sin Far. “Mrs. Spring Fragrance.”
W05 03/18M 1. Langston Hughes, “Salvation.” Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric
and Reader. International Ed. Ed. Sarah E. Skwire and David Skwire.
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W06 03/25M
W07 04/01M
W08 04/08M
W09 04/15M
Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 52-54.
1. Langston Hughes, “Salvation.”
Spring break. No class.
1. Sandra Cisneros, “The House on Mango Street.” Essays from
Contemporary Culture. 5th ed. Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston:
Thomson Wadsworth, 2004.188-191.
1. Sandra Cisneros, “The House on Mango Street.”
W10 04/22M 1. Mid-term exam
Consumer Culture
W11 04/29M 1. “The Jazz Age.” Cornell University New Student Reading Project.
n.d. Web. 07 Feb 2013.
W12 05/06M 1. F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Reading Is Fundamental. Library of Congress. 2011. Web. 07 Feb
2013.
W13 05/13M 1. F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
W14 05/20M 1. Fincher, David, dir. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Perf.
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., 2008.
Film.
W15 05/27M 1. Discussion: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button—the story and
the film
W16 06/03M 1. A “new post-feminist” production?—Brigit Jones’s Diary
Maguire, Sharon, dir. Brigit Jones’s Diary. Perf. Renée Zellweger and
Hugh Grant. Miramax Films and Universal Pictures, 2001.
W17 06/10M 1. Brigit Jones’s Diary
W18 06/17M Wrap up.
W19 06/24M Final exam.
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