Comparative Culture (Najd307)

This course includes: (A) the various definitions of the term "culture", (B) the interface between language and culture, (C) the importance of comparing cultures without falling into stereotypes and unwarranted bias, and (D) the contribution of comparative culture to the domain of translation. Students, at the end of the semester, should be able to discuss American culture and make references to the British and European cultures and, whenever appropriate, to the Arab culture and Islamic values. The course also deals with the various factors that have contributed to the shaping up of the so- called American character. These factors include immigration, slavery, the frontier movement, and Puritanism. The course stresses that these factors have made the American culture different in some of its aspects from the above-cited cultures and similar in some other aspects. The course also analyses, compares, and translates proverbs and idioms in English and Arabic.