Anglo-American Culture and Civilization

Study of American culture through the interdisciplinary approach of American Studies; students will be able to identify the relationships between texts and contexts (historical, political, and social) and, taking into account multiple and different perspectives, discuss on what is “American”.

American and New American Studies: range, perspectives and methods. Through the reading of cultural products created in different fields of discourse - from literature to politics, from cinema to music and the visual arts - this course will explore the issues concerning the construction of the American character and identity. Offering a complex vision that goes beyond a purely mainstream perspective, it will examine such essential aspects as ethnicity, gender, the influence of religion on civil society, youth culture, regional identities, international relationships, media and technology.

Primary works (for both attending and non-attending students):

• an anthology of significant texts, both literary and non-literary (political speeches, songs, movies, etc.), provided at the beginning of the semester.
• at least one of the following American classics (free choice by the students; alternative readings are allowed, provided they are negotiated with the teacher):

M. Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894); W. Cather, O Pioneers (1913); F.S. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1926); J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951); S. Plath, The Bell Jar (1963); L. Hughes, Poesie (testo a fronte; a cura di S. Piccinnato, 1968); L. M. Silko, Ceremony (1972); A. Yezierska, Bread Givers (1975); S. Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (1984).

• Vision of at least one of the following movies (free choice):

Rebel Without a Cause (N. Ray, 1955); To Kill a Mockingbird (R. Mulligan, 1962); Easy Rider (D. Hopper,1969); The Stepford Wives (B. Forbes, 1975); One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975); Radio Days (W. Allen, 1987); Full Metal Jacket (S. Kubrick, 1987); Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989); Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991); O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2000); The Village (M. Night Shyamalan, 2004); The War of the Worlds (S. Spielberg, 2005).

Students from language courses (L11 and L20) must read the classic and watch the movie in the original language. Students from other courses are allowed to read and watch Italian versions.

Secondary works:

• N. Campbell, A. Kean, American Cultural Studies. An Introduction to American Culture, London and New York, Routledge, 2005 (pp. 103-119 + 156-182 excluded)

Non-attending students must integrate their study with the following essays from J.C. Rowe (ed.), A Concise Companion to American Studies (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010):

• D. Pease, “Postnational and Postcolonial Reconfigurations of American Studies in the Postmodern Condition” (pp. 263-283);
• J.C. Rowe, “Culture, US Imperialism, and Globalization” (pp. 284-304).