American Landscapes and Memory

Teacher(s)

Bragard Véronique;

Language

English

Prerequisites

Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages 

Main themes

This course provides an overview of American landscapes and  their memorial content related to: 

1. Material realities and American monument culture; 
2. political and social organisation (governments); 
3. moral realities and societal values; 
4. cultural, artistic, philosophical and religious debates; 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Follow and understand lectures in English
2	Debate questions and issues related to contemporary American culture and history
3	Critically analyse cultural expressions and representations (memorials, films, literary excerpts, artistic productions, series, etc.)
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 2.6, 4.3, 5.6, 6.6

Content

American history has marked the land to the point that its landscapes are memory; they contain the traces of human intervention, social relationships, displacements and living habits. This course offers students a survey of American history in its broader conceptualization, taking into account cultural, artistic and memorial aspects related to its territory. It addresses the cultural construction of memory by interrogating various geographical sites and texts in which traces of the past are physically ingrained, commemorated, represented, celebrated or contested. The course is divided into 10 modules, each of which is devoted to one specific landscape (ocean, river, plains, forests, plantations, city, roads, mines, sacrifice zones and parks & the non-human world). How does the meaning of American landscapes exceed what we see on the surface-level? Which pasts do these eroded places transmit, and how? Starting from Lauret Savoy’s Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape (2016), we will highlight how natural landscapes bear witness to political engagements, social decisions, forms of exclusion and conflicts. In retracing the history of the United States (and its connections with Belgium) via the shapeshifting elements of its landscapes, we will also interrogate the voices that have been silenced or omitted from dominant narratives. Each section will examine how artistic and creative sites of resistance (literary works, songs, films, speeches, artivism, civil disobedience) respond to the damaging effects of human behavior (Anthropocene) and the current planetary cultural crisis.

Teaching methods

Lectures; PowerPoint presentations, films, required readings, course notes.

Evaluation methods

Written exam

Faculty or entity

> ELAL