| Competències |
| Codi | |
| A2 | Conèixer la història de la llengua anglesa i la seves cultures |
| A4 | Conèixer l'estructura de la llengua anglesa |
| A7 | Conèixer els mecanismes orals i escrits de la llengua anglesa |
| A11 | Conèixer les bases de la comunicació humana |
| A15 | Poder formar-se una opinió crítica sobre un text |
| A16 | Saber expressar una opinió amb claredat i concisió sobre un text oral o escrit |
| A17 | Saber fer una presentació multimèdia sobre un text |
| B3 | Aplicar pensament crític, lògic i creatiu |
| B4 | Treballar de forma autònoma amb iniciativa |
| B5 | Treballar de forma col·laborativa |
| B7 | Comunicar-se de manera efectiva i amb asertivitat a l'entorn laboral i com a ciutadà |
| B8 | Sensibilització pels temes vinculats al medi ambient |
| C1 | Dominar l’expressió i la comprensió d'un idioma estranger |
| C2 | Utilitzar com a usuari les eines bàsiques en TIC |
| C3 | Desenvolupar la vida personal i professional tenint una perspectiva àmplia i global del món |
| C4 | Moure’s amb facilitat per l’espai europeu i per la resta del món |
| Objectius d'aprenentatge |
| Objectius | Competències | ||
| Students will be exposed to some of the main features of American culture, and will therefore obtain a wider, more international approach to human relationships | A11 |
B7 |
C4 |
| Students will learn to express ideas and opinions in a multicultural context. The use of English as the vehicular language will help them focus not only on expression; it will also make them aware of cultural differences. By the end of the term students are expected to have learnt to approach American culture from a realistic, unprejudiced point of view. | A2 A4 A7 A11 A15 A16 A17 |
B3 B4 B5 B7 B8 |
C1 C2 C3 C4 |
| Continguts |
| Tema | Subtema |
| 1.The country | Natural resources & economic development Climate The regions Native American cultural regions Cultural regions in the contemporary USA |
| 2.The people: settlement and immigration | Early encounters between Europeans & Native Americans The founders The first wave, 1680-1776 The second wave, 1820-1890 The third wave, 1890-1930 The fourth wave, 1965 to the present Attitudes to immigrants |
| 3.The people: women and minorities | Women in America Native Americans African Americans Asian Americans Latinos |
| 4.Political institutions: the federal government | Historical origins The constitutional framework The political parties The legislative branch The executive branch The judicial branch Attitudes to branches of the federal government |
| 5.Political institutions: state and local government | The place of state government in American federalism The evolution of state government and federalism in the USA The structure of state government Local government |
| 6.Foreign policy | American attitudes to world affairs From neutrality to isolationism, 1776-1830 From expansionism to imperialism, 1783-1914 Isolationism and internationalism, 1914-45 The Cold War era, 1946-92 The sole superpower in the post-Cold War era |
| 7.The legal system | The sources of US law The court system Federal and state court proceedings The legal profession Crime and punishment Attitudes to the legal system |
| 8.The economy | Economic history American economic liberalism Social class and economic inequality The contemporary economy Industry and manufacturing Service industries Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Financial and industrial institutions |
| 9.Social services | Social services history The organization of contemporary social services Public social services The needy and the poverty line Health care Housing Attitudes to social services |
| 10.Education | American attitudes to education American educational history Elementary and secondary schools Higher education Recent problems and policy debates |
| 11.The media | Media history Freedom of the media The contemporary print media The contemporary broadcasting media Attitudes to the media |
| 12.Religion | Religious history Contemporary US religion Church, state and politics Religion and education Attitudes to religion |
| 13.The arts, sports and leisure | The arts Sports Leisure |
| Planificació |
| Metodologies :: Proves | |||||||||
| Competències | (*) Hores a classe | Hores fora de classe | (**) Hores totals | ||||||
| Activitats Introductòries |
|
2 | 4 | 6 | |||||
| Sessió Magistral |
|
30 | 30 | 60 | |||||
| Presentacions / exposicions |
|
2 | 24 | 26 | |||||
| Atenció personalitzada |
|
2 | 2 | 4 | |||||
| Proves objectives de preguntes curtes |
|
6 | 48 | 54 | |||||
| (*) En el cas de docència no presencial, són les hores de treball amb suport vitual del professor. (**) Les dades que apareixen a la taula de planificació són de caràcter orientatiu, considerant l’heterogeneïtat de l’alumnat | |||||||||
| Metodologies |
| Descripció | |
| Activitats Introductòries | Students will be given a short questionnaire with traditional cultural clichés about American life and institutions. After that, the questions will be jointly discussed in class in an attempt to prepare the students for the information they will receive throughout the course, and which tey may find slightly disconcerting. |
| Sessió Magistral | Lectures will focus on the topics included in the textbook. They will highlight the main areas or the most difficult points. Alternatively, they may also include references to cultural landmarks or people |
| Presentacions / exposicions | These one-hour presentations will be delivered in small groups. The topics will have been agreed upon previously, and students are expected to provide information on specific topics, but also to show their ability to speak in public, keep the audience's interest, manipulate IT, etc. |
| Atenció personalitzada |
|
|
| Avaluació |
| Descripció | Pes | ||
| Sessió Magistral | Class attendance and participation in the discussions that may arise in the course of the lectures | 10 | |
| Presentacions / exposicions | 1-hour presentation in class on one topic previously decided. Items to be valued: language accuracy, delivery, originality, use of IT, etc. | 20 | |
| Proves objectives de preguntes curtes | Two short-question tests on topics related to major landmarks in the culture of the United States. The questions may be connected to the lecture topics. but may also include other elements | 30 | |
| Altres | "Final" exam, which is not such as it only accounts for 50% of the final grade. Between 50 and 100 short questions related to the textbook and the general lectures |
50 | |
| Altres comentaris i segona convocatòria | |||
|
The work and characteristics of the second sitting will be specified in class because, depending on the amount of work done and handed in, it may not be the same for all students |
|||
| Fonts d'informació |
| Bàsica |
David Mauk & John Oakland, American Civilization. An Introduction, 4th, 2005
, Anthology of Reading Materials, , September 2007 |
| Complementària | |
| Recomanacions |
| Altres comentaris | |
| Regular class attendance is a requirement, as a high percentage of the final grade will be based on exercises and activitites done in class. Notice that the end-of-term exam only accounts for 50% of the final grade, which means that it is practically impossible to pass the course unless you have handed in a number of exercises. |