In these extremely testing and volatile times we seem to be at a loss about what is going on in America. Do we really understand our longterm ally? Do we have to be worried about recent developments? Do we fear for the future of the German-American relationship? This course will try to provide deeper insight into what is actually going on in this country. Course members’ ideas and questions are certainly welcome and will guide our discussion. We will try to understand the American people, American society and how the political system works. We will use various kinds of material, such as newspaper articles, video clips, documentaries and American literature – such as ‘The Glass Castle‘ by Jeannette Walls and/or ‘An American Princess – The Many Lives of Allene Tew’ by Annejet van der Zijl.