US Studies

Teacher(s): Ewelina Jurkiewicz 

Lessons: 4/week

For the past 100 years the USA has been the most powerful country in the world – economically, militarily and culturally. Even though the US is virtually omnipresent and we are surrounded by the American culture, how much do we actually know about it? Where did it come from, what were its beginnings, what are its core values and finally: why did Trump win?

During this Folk High School US Class we will try to answer these questions and more. We will take a look at the dark moments in the US history (e.g. Native American history, slavery, interventionism) and the more glorious ones (e.g. Civil Rights Movements and music revolution) and try to understand What Makes America Great and if it actually is great at all.

You will see hundreds of photos, watch famous speeches, listen to music – from blues, jazz and rock to pop and hip-hop, read fragments of books and poems, see films that reflect best what America was and is today and – most importantly – debate and exchange your views on the US.