North American Literature

Code: LLT10879L

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Literature

Teaching languages: Portuguese, English

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Igualdade de género - Alcançar a igualdade de gênero e empoderar todas as mulheres e meninas.

Learning Goals

To develop the study, the reflection and the debate between teacher and students about certain authors of contemporary American literature and their correspondences to the Visual Arts and Cinema. The students should be able to acknowledge de importance of American Culture to the contemporary European and Western Culture, noticing a very favourable common ground that could allow them to acquire competences of intercultural approaches that are nowadays essential to all scientific areas.

- The Grotesque in Art and Literature: William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor e Joyce Carol Oates
- Abstract Expressionism and American Gothic Fiction.
- Psychos in Literature and Cinema.
- Cultural Paranoia and American Contemporary Narrative.
- The unquiet art of Louise Bourgeois, Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Robert Gober, etc.
- The Cinema of Alfred Hitchcock, David Cronenberg, David Lynch e John Carpenter.

Teaching Methods

Pluridisciplinary practices that stimulate the dialogue between different areas of knowledge specially between American Contemporary Literature and the other Arts, through the viewing of documentaries, films and arts exhibitions that could complement the reading of literary works. We shall apply the "scientific-reflective-practitioner" method, that assumes that a good preparation implies the acquirement of professional and research competences leading to a certain reflection on the future professional activities. - Students active participation and presence in classes. - Research and initiative abilities. - Reading and viewing practices as well as involvement in cultural activities. - The quality of written and oral research works presented in classes.