1. WELCOME TO American Culture and Society
Week one

2. Question of the Day – 1,2,3
On a piece of paper write your: First name, last name, section number Then: Tell me (in writing) one thing you know about American Culture, two things you think are important to Moroccan Culture, and three things you are interested in learning more about in this class.

3. Course Logistics Where to Reach Me Course Description and Objectives
Topics Covered
Course Materials
Course Expectations
Guiding Principles
Grading

4. Where to Reach Me
Professor: Ms. Rosenbloom Office: N. 20 Office Hours: Wednesdays 12pm-2pm

5. Course Description and Objectives
This course will introduce students to a broad picture of American culture and society. There will be a focus on contemporary American values, traditions, geography, politics, economics, education, religion, and social life etc. But studies on all of the above will be based in their historical context.
Along with providing an opportunity to learn about American culture and society and think cross-culturally and compare Moroccan culture and society, this course will also further develop core language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

6. Topics Covered Topics that will be covered include:
Founding Fathers – U.S. Constitution/Beginnings
The American Political System
Immigration - Idea of the Melting Pot
The American Dream and American Economy
The Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter Movement
Popular Culture and Mass Media
The American Education System
Modern Cities and Geography of America
Language and American English Dialects
U.S. Impact in a Globalized World

7. Course Materials
Copy material which you can make copies of at the copy hut.
Handouts given in class
After each week, I will post what we went over in class and the homework on this website: society.html
You can also refer to the website for more information about events going on around campus and opportunities to study English abroad.

8. Online Website

9. Mobile Website

10. Contact Page

11. Study Abroad

12. Class Expectations Be prepared. What does this mean?
Students are also expected to be in class on time and to stay until the end of every class session. Attendance is mandatory and will be part of your grade.
Both the professor and students will always communicate in only the English language. Respect will be given to both peers and the professor.
Students will participate in class by taking notes, taking part in activities, and sharing their ideas. Participation is part of your grade.

13. Class Expectations (cont.)
Students will bring the following materials to every class:
notebook and loose leaf paper for note taking
folder to hold notes and handouts
pencil and eraser and blue or black pen
English dictionary
Students will not use their mobile phones during class.
When homework is assigned, students are expected to manage their time wisely in order to complete their assignments on or before deadlines. Late assignments will not be accepted. Students are responsible for the material covered and homework assigned during an absence.

14. Class Expectations (cont.)
Students will not plagiarize their assignments.**
The professor will post assignments on the class website where students can check in advance to see what is due. The professor will respond to s via the website contact page or to the at the top of this syllabus within two business days. Students are also expected to respond within two business days.
**Plagiarism is the representation of someone else’s words, ideas, or works as one’s own without authorization. Paraphrasing, summarizing, and using direct quotations all require the citation of the original source. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism. Students who are unsure how and when to provide citations are advised to consult with the professor. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course.

15. Guiding Principles
Culture and Society are subject to constant change and reflect life styles and social movements. However, it is important to consult and analyze the historical past in order to understand the present cultural and societal values.
Objects, activities, and communicative means (such as social media, books, movies, television, music, art, festivals, language etc.) of expressing culture are important to analyze in order to gain insight into the culture and society.
In order to understand other cultures and societies, it is important to reflect on one’s own culture and society as well.

16. Grading
Attendance and Participation 15% In Class and Homework Assignments 15% Paper 20% Final Exam 50%

17. Questions?

18. Semantic Mapping
Source: Taken from Teaching Exceptional, Diverse, and At-Risk Students in the General Education Classroom by Sharon Vaughn, 2003, p

19. Our Challenge
What is Culture? In groups of five or so, get together and create your own semantic map for the word “Culture.” As you do this, think about… What words do you associate with culture? What does culture consist of? Who belongs to or participates in a culture? And how do they do so?

20. Homework
Read the Syllabus on your own – pick up a copy at the copy hut this week or read it online from the website. Write two questions you still have about the syllabus/course and bring them to next class.