Course Syllabus
Week 1. February, 9.
Introduction to the course.
Week 2. February, 16.
Political, Cultural and Historic Regions of the USA.
Reading:
• A Brief Tour Of The United States
• The Mid-Atlantic
• The South
• The Midwest
• The West
References:
• Outline of American Geography
• Maps with Facts in Brief
Week 3. March, 01.
Ethnic makeup of the U.S. Population: Europeans, Native Americans, Black Americans, Hispanics, Asians.
Reading:
• Blending of the USA (R.L. Stanfield)
• Changing America: the United States Population in Transition
• The United States Population: where the New Immigrants are (W.H. Frey)
• The American Cultural Tapestry (Gary Weaver)
http://www.slideshare.net/titova/the-american-identity-icc-lecture
Week 4. March, 15.
Immigration in the USA. External and Internal Immigration. The Century of Massive Immigration. Main Immigration Acts. Requirements for Naturalization.
Reading:
• New Ways of Seeing and Thinking (S. Page)
• The Debate in the United States Over Immigration (D. Spain)
• Irish Immigrats in the U.S. (K. Kenny)
• Immigration and U.S. History (H. Diner)
References:
• The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Week 5. March, 22.
Test #1.
Week 6. March, 29.
The U.S. System Of Government. The Constitution And The Bill Of Rights. Legislative And Executive Branches Of Government.
Reading:
• Outline of U.S. Government. ch.2. Explaning the Constitution: the Federalist Papers
• Oversight Power of Congress
• President seeks Bipartisan Agreement in Congress (M. Brooks)
• Impeachment is Ultimate Legislative Check on Executive power (M. Brooks)
References:
• Outline of the U.S. Government
• The Constitution of the USA
• The Bill of Rights
Week 7. April, 5.
Colloquium #1. Test #2.
Week 8. April, 12.
Political Parties. Election System: Main Principles And Mechanisms. Steps Of The Presidential Election. Congress Election.
Reading:
• Barack Obama: Breaking a New Ground (D. DiPasquale)
• What is the Electoral College?
• Third Parties In U.S. Election
• How The Internet Is Changing The Playing Field?
References:
• Voting and Election
• Historical Election Results
• President Barack Obama
Week 9. April, 19.
The U.S. Economic And Social Structure: The Role Of Government, Factors That Influence The Development Of Economy, “Deregulation” Process, Social Security And Poverty, Health System, Workfare Programs.
Reading:
• The Role Of Government In The Economy From The Outline Of The USA Economy
• How Small Businesses Contribute To U.S. Economic Expansion
• If You Want To Start Your Own Business
• My America: Coloring Outside The Lines (J. Easley)
References:
• Outline of the U.S. Economy
Week 10. April, 26.
Mass Media: Principles Of Journalism, Newspapers And Magazines, Commercial And Non-Commercial TV Stations, The FCC Regulations. From Citizen Journalism To User-Generated Content.
Reading:
• Understanding Media Watchdogs (V. Whitehouse)
• Internet Becoming Battleground for Journalists (E. Green)
• Readers Make a Newspaper Their Own (A. Lex)
• New Media vs Old Media (D. Vaina)
• From Citizen Journalism to User-Generated Content (B. Pecquerie, L. Kilman)
References:
• The Freedom of Information Act
Week 11. May, 3.
American English: History, Major Dialects, Variations, Influences, National Standards, Race And Language.
Reading:
• What’s New? The Effect of Hip-Hop Culture on Everyday English (G. Emmett)
• Spanglish: Speaking la Lengua Loca (I. Stavans)
References:
• A National Map Of The Regional Dialects Of American English (W. Labov, S. Ash, C. Boberg)
Week 12. May, 10.
Week 13. May, 17.
Final test.
