AN3008MA07 Culture Shock or Culture Clash? The United States and Central Europe in the Early 21st Century
A joint course for students of the John v. Roach Honors College at Texas Christian University in the United States, students of the North American Department of the Institute of English and American Studies at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, and students of the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw in Poland
Fall 2017
Place and time: TUE 16-18, Rm. 109
Tutor: Tibor Glant, (University of Debrecen)
Office hours: TUE 15-16, THU 9-10 @by appointment (120/2)
Tutor (TCU): Dr. Juan Carlos Sola-Corbacho
Scharbauer Hall 3018
Office Hours: MWF, 8:00-9:30; Tu, 8:00-9:00; Th, 2:30-3:30, and by appointment
Tutor: Dr. Włodzimierz Batóg, (American Studies Center. University of Warsaw. Warsaw, Poland)
GOALS
With the implementation of new technologies, our present world has become “smaller than ever.” Political borders and physical obstacles no longer limit the exchanges between societies, and thus people, goods, news, and ideas move more and faster than ever before.
Many are wondering if this new “global” world, apparently without borders, will have room for cultural diversity, or, on the contrary, and unlike what it has been for more than two thousand years, it will become a uniform one with no cultural differences. To rephrase this important dichotomy in a more provocative way: Is globalization reinforcing cultural diversity or the Westernization (Americanization) of our world? We believe that higher education should respond to these new challenges, and above all to that offered by the relation between technological development and cultural diversity. This class is designed to achieve that goal.
In this class, our main goal is to make students from three different cultural and national backgrounds, the United States, Poland, and Hungary, exchange ideas and share experiences. Simply put: we intend to explore diversity in the world through diversity in the classroom.We believe that this transnational experience will give the students an opportunity to achieve a better understanding of our world and the most important issues affecting it. We also think that the class will provide them with a view of how this technological development is affecting cultural diversity nowadays. We also hope that by the end of the semester students will recognize the unfortunately important role that stereotypes still play in transnational relations. Finally, we believe that this transcultural experience will improve their educational preparation, and in general it will help them personally and professionally.
MANAGEMENT OF THE CLASS
The course will be run simultaneously at Texas Christian University (USA), the University of Debrecen (Hungary) and the American Studies Center of the University of Warsaw (Poland). American and Central European students will work together in a transatlantic classroom divided in two groups, one at each side of the Atlantic Ocean. During the semester, both the European and American students will analyze and discuss some of the most important current issues affecting our global world in general, and the United States and Central Europe in particular.
We have decided to enlarge the European area of study to include all those countries that are part of what we know as Central Europe. In order to delimit (culturally and geographically) Central Europe, we will use Lonnie Johnson’s definition of Central European identity (see readings for class). According to Johnson, Central European identity is determined by its location: between Germany and Russia, and as the Eastern frontier of Western Christianity. In this class, we will focus on Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia above all but, if deemed necessary, we will expand our inquiries to include Germany, Romania, Russia, and the Yugoslav successor states. As for the United States, we will use the “unity-through-diversity” idea manifested in the national motto, E pluribus unum.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
We shall connect with the two other groups via live video conference as many times as possible for as long as possible to facilitate the direct exchange of ideas. This usually means 4.30 to 5.40 each class between weeks 2 and 13.
Students of all three programs will jointly use TCU’s “sharepoint” website to exchange ideas, continue discussion, and post diary entries. It is your KEY tool for this class and you must get connected as soon as possible.
The Daily Cards (For details see below) must be submitted by 8pm the SATURDAY before class so that we can merge them and establish the issues most of our students want to discuss. UD Daily Cards must address THREE key issues related to the given class. You must explain why you wish to discuss each of them in a single paragraph each. Thus, a UD DC is ideally a one-page, typed document with three clearly separated paragraphs. ONE of the three issues must relate to the US directly and reflect your assigned reading on US culture and society. All DCs from all three programs will be posted on sharepoint one day before class. It is your responsibility to digest all three lists before coming to class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Course requirements include (1) discussion in class, (2) diary of a transatlantic class, (3) one in-depth presentation, and finally, (4) a research paper of 10 pages (min. 2,000 words), fully footnoted.
Discussion in class (30%):
In a class that deals with diversity and the exchange of ideas, active participation in discussion is essential and should not be limited to being physically present. Accordingly, for each major subject for discussion, each student will be asked to bring to class a “Daily Card” which should include 3 issues s/he would like the class to discuss. You must submit your “Daily Card” every week by e-mail on Saturday by the end of the day.Class participation will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of the Daily Cards and actual participation in the class discussion and debates.We have selected a number of topics to discuss in class. The students will prepare the topics before coming to class with the readings we will provide. You may add other sources (newspapers and magazines).
Diary of a transatlantic class (20%):
From the beginning of the semester the groups in the United States and in Hungary will be in contact (Skype, SharePoint, email, social media) discussing the topics introduced in class or any other topic they would be interested in: from television to food, from sports to politics, from literature to movies...
The product of those conversations will be the entries in their diaries. The contents of these entries must illustrate the differences or similarities between these two cultures found by the students through their dialogue, which will be their only source for this assignment.
Every student will have to submit 3 entries during the semester. Each of these entries will not be longer than three pages. Europeans will submit their entry at Debrecen and Americans at TCU (eCollege). Students will be able to submit their entries anytime during the semester, being sure that at the end of the semester they will have submitted their three entries.
Presentations(20%):
We will discuss Debrecen presentations in the orientation class on September 12. We will connect to TCU for the first time a week later.
Research paper (30%):
Each student will write an individual research paper. The paper will be 10 pages, typed, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 or similar font size, footnoted, in proper academic English, including a separate title page (not included in the 10 pages).
Students will analyze a contemporary issue, either political, social, cultural or economic. Your essay will have to incorporate a comparative view of the issue. You will have to compare one of the Central European countries and the United States. Your ultimate goal is to write your own opinion on the issue. The subject may (in fact, perhaps, should) overlap with your presentation topic.
Sources: articles published by European and American newspapers, magazines, websites, as well as scholarly sources (books and articles). Only websites with author/s will be acceptable (it is a question of reliability that can affect your view of the issue).
You must include footnotes every time you include information/ideas taken from your sources. Use the Chicago Style. There is a link (“The Chicago Manual Style”) on Learning Studio (webliography tab) that will take you to a citation guide. The guide includes instructions on how to cite your sources (footnotes and cited works page/bibliography).
You should paraphrase instead of quoting when you include an idea taken from your sources. This paper must be “yours.”
The papers will be graded on the basis of content (relevance, accuracy, and quality of information) and presentation (organization, quality of English used, including grammar and pronunciation, and logic of argument).
Deadline at UD: December 05
GRADING
UD: 92-100% 5; 81-90% 4; 71-80% 3; 61-70% 2; and 0-60% 1.
For reference: TCU: 92-100 designates an A; 90-91 designates an A-; 89-88 designates a B+; 82-87 designates a B; 80-81 designates a B-; 79-78 designates a C+; 72-77 designates a C; 70-71 designates a C-; 69-68 designates a D+; 67-62 designates a D; 60-61 designates a D-; and 0-59 designates an F.
TOPICS FOR COMPARATIVE DISCUSSION IN CLASS
Women: role of women in the two cultures: rhetoric vs. reality; violence against women, key issues incl. maternity leave, equal pay, etc.
Environmental issues: Air pollution, biodiversity, climate change, deforestation, environment and health, food waste, government intervention, land use, noise pollution, nuclear energy, resource efficiency and waste, shale gas…
Youth: culture, demography, drugs & alcohol, education, employment, Europe and the European Union, globalization, health, politics, social integration/participation, values
Sexual minorities: stereotypes, level of acceptance, and recognition; rhetoric vs. reality; differences in the law concerning same sex marriage; gay pride parades
Ethnic diversity: local stereotypes, visibility, and general acceptance; rhetoric vs. reality; press coverage of the minority issues of the other cultural region; representation in the media (TV, movies, and music)
Media habits: a comparative look at student media consumption: what, when, how; torrenting vs. Netflix/hulu/amazon prime
Gun culture and social violence: the two different takes on Second Amendment rights; which system is better and why; which one would the students prefer; how is social tension (and violence) channeled in the two cultural regions
Religion: government and faith; rhetoric vs. reality; what constitutes a “Christian nation” in the US and in Central Europe; faith as an issue of shame or pride
Migration: immigration policies; the difference between migrant and refugee; political rhetoric targeting migrants; evaluation of each other’s attitude towards migration and refugees
During the semester, students will be able to suggest additional topics.
READINGS
Hungarian and Polish readings will be posted on Sharepoint. US readings will be distributed in class.
UD SCHEDULE (partly different from TCU schedule)
Week 1 (SEP 12): Orientation: discussing course goals and management.
Week 2 (SEP 19):Intro and meeting the TCU class, general discussion
Week 3 (SEP 26): Youth culture (demography, drugs, social media and so on)
Week 4 (OCT 03): Youth culture, part 2, meeting Warsaw class
Week 5 (OCT 10): Gender issues/role of women
Week 6 (OCT 17): Migration and gender issues;Fall break at TCU
Week 7 (OCT 24): Gender issues/role of women, part 2
Week 8 (OCT 31): Fall break at UD
Week 9 (NOV 07): Migration, ethnic minorities, the new patriotism
Week 10 (NOV 14): Environmental issues
Week 11 (NOV 21): Religion
Week 12 (NOV 28): Gun culture and violence
Week 13 (DEC 05): Conclusion
Please note this will be our last joint class session.
All diary entries must be uploaded by this class.
Essay submission deadline at UD.
Week 14 (DEC 12): Evaluation/Award-winning ceremony
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