Introducing the American Cultural Studies Program (ACS)

What does the word "freedom" mean to an American? How has that meaning evolved over time?

How does American literature differ region to region? What do those differences tell us about regional identity in the United States?

What effect has Hollywood had on mythologizing the American experience? What films deserve to be considered “mythic”?

What do you define “American” art? How does that art represent uniquely American themes and ideas?

The United States is a nation that escapes easy definition. It is home to a wide variety of experiences, histories, and identities, sometimes existing together in harmony, at other times in great tension.

American culture is a product of this harmony and this tension. Questions like those listed above address both aspects of the American experience. These are the types of questions that will be explored in the American Cultural Studies Program (ACS), a new initiative of IIE.

ACS offers courses (American Expression, American Art History, American Cinema, American Literature) to advanced English learners created by highly-trained and passionate faculty that will expand students' knowledge of American culture from a variety of perspectives. In so doing their language skills will be enriched and deepened by engaging with native materials on their own terms, as well as by group and individual analysis and interpretation guided by expert instructors, and supported by the latest in educational technology. In addition, assessed student production, written and oral, will demonstrate students' understanding and fluid control of the course content, both on a technical and linguistic level. Combining methods adapted from the US liberal arts university classroom with ESL best practices, ACS is truly a unique English-learning experience.

If you are interested to learn more about ACS and the courses currently being offered, as well as those to be offered next quarter, please come for a free open-session of ACS, to be held on Wednesday, November 25th, from 18.30:19.30 p.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., at the International Institute.

************************************************** ***************

What does the word "freedom" mean to an American? How has its meaning evolved over time?

How does American literature vary from region to region? What do these differences tell us about regional identities in the US?

What has been the effect of Hollywood in the mythologizing of the American experience? What films deserve the consideration of "mythical"?

What defines “American” art? How does that art represent uniquely American themes and ideas?

The United States is a nation that flees from a simple definition. It houses a wide variety of experiences, stories, and identities, which can coexist harmoniously but also in strong tension.

American culture is the product of that harmony and that tension. The questions posed above address both aspects of the American experience and represent the kind of reflection that will take place in the American Studies Program (ACS), a new initiative of the International Institute's English Program.

ACS offers a series of courses (American Expression, American Art History, American Cinema, American Literature) for students with an advanced level of English. These courses are designed by highly qualified and enthusiastic faculty to broaden students' understanding of American culture from diverse perspectives. Under the guidance of specialized faculty, students will enrich their language skills by working with original materials and of their analysis and interpretation both individually and in groups. In addition, the evaluation of the written and oral production of the students will demonstrate their understanding and control of the content at a technical and linguistic level. By combining the methods of the North American university and the best practices of teaching English to foreigners, ACS offers a unique experience in Madrid in the field of learning English.

If you are interested in learning about the ACS program and the courses that make it up, we encourage you to go to the presentation of the program on November 25 at 18,30:XNUMX p.m. at the International Institute.