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AN12000BA; AN18007BA; AN2200OMA

BRITISH CIVILIZATION

FIRST YEAR B.A.

MINOR PROGRAMME

Thu 12-13.40 (XIV), Fri 8-9.40 (55.)

URECZKY ESZTER

OFFICE HOURS:

Place: 105

Time:

Wed 17-18, Thu 14-15

email:

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The course has a double aim. First, to introduce students to British cultural history and life in modern Britain, that is, to basic cultural phenomena, and second, to improve the students' language skills. In each, seminar various images, newspaper articles, literary,and visual texts (including films, for ex. Love Actually and iconic British television series like The Vicar of Dibley, Keeping up Appearances) and songs (from William Blake’s “Jerusalem” through John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” to Muse’s “Uprising”) are discussed. The discussions are accompanied by comprehension questions and exercises on the topics, including popular images of Britishness vs. Englishness, national symbols, language, manners, gender roles, other “things English” (tea ceremony, the cult of the countryside, the Beatles, etc.), political institutions, the cultural geography of London, law, education, class, international relations, Euroscepticism, race relations, multiculturalism, religion, welfare and the media.

Requirements:

Students are expected to read the assigned chapters for each class as this is the basis of classroom participation, and it also contributes to the final grade. The success of the seminar will greatly depend on your contribution; it is essential, therefore, that participants take an active part in classroom discussions.

OCCASIONAL QUIZZES:can be expected at the beginning of seminars to check students’ familiarity with the assigned readings. It will take approximately 5 minutes to write these tests. If the total of the quizzes does not reach 60% percent, the entire course fails to be graded. Latecomers will not be allowed to write them, nor those who are absent from the class. In case of failure, there will be one more chance topass them on week 14, together with the end-term test. Also, quizzes count 10% of the final grade.

CLASSROOM WORK, PRESENTATION: every student will have to give a short presentation (10 minutes at the maximum) on a freely chosen chapter of the O’Driscoll book. The presenter has to prepare a well-prepared handout for the group and it is strongly recommended to add extra material to the book chapter (extra cultural, historical info, interesting details, pictures, music, videos). The presentation cannot be completely read out, the student can of course check his/her notes while presenting. The student has to consult with the instructor one week before the presentation and show her the handout.

MID-TERM TEST:an objective test on the material covered in the first half of the term.

End-term test:anobjective teston the material covered during the whole semester; definitions, general outline of certain cultural issues, short essay questions on particular topics (to be answered in 5-6 sentences).

Class attendance:no more than three missed classes can be tolerated.

Grading policy
Course components / Percentage
classroom work, presentation / 20%
quizzes / 10%
mid-term test / 30%
end-term test / 40%
Total / 100%
/ Overall percentage / Grades
87-100% / 5
75-86% / 4
63-74% / 3
51-62% / 2
0-50 % / 1

Neither mid-term tests, nor end-term tests can be rewritten. If the mid-term test receives a very low percentage, the student will have to write a very good end-term test in order to get a grade for the course. Unlike exams, both the mid-term and the end-term tests assess how students have been studying during the entire semester. If the mark for the mid-term and the end-term does not add up to 50%, the final grade for the course will be 1. Only occasional quizzes can be rewritten, as it is described above.

(N.B. NO GRADE CAN BE OBTAINED UNLESS ALL THE COURSE COMPONENTS ARE FULFILLED)

TEXTS:

For the assigned chapters of the O’Driscoll book’s pdf version email the instructor, they are also downloadable from the librarian’scomputer in rm. 101.

Further handouts distributed by the instructor.

Week / Date / Topic
1 / 22, 23/
09 / Orientation and general introduction
  • watching a scene from Love Actually (the PM’s speech)
  • discussing some popular images of the UK

2 / 29,30/09 / English vs. British: places,myths and national symbols
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapter 1 (Country and people)
Presentation: chapters 2 (History) and 3 (Geography)
Other materials used in class:
  • watching a scene from Trainspotting (on Scottish identity)
  • listening to William Blake’shymn “Jerusalem”

6,7/
10 / The English character and some “tribal rites,” language, manners, the social classes, gender roles
Required reading: James O’Driscoll: Britain, chapter 4 (Identity)
Presentation: chapters 5 (Attitudes) and 20-21 (Food, Sports)
Other materials used in class:
  • Paul McCartney: “English Tea”
  • “Women, know your limits!” (BBC video)
  • Blur: “Country House”
  • “The Stately Homes of England”

4 / 13,14/
10 / Thepresent state of the monarchy, thecultural geography of London
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapter 6 (Political life)
Presentation: chapters 7 (The Monarchy) and 8 (The Government)
Other materials used in class:
  • Images and maps provided by the instructor

5 / 20,21/
10 / Political Institutions
Required reading: O’Driscoll: Britain, chapter 9 (Parliament)
Presentation: chapter 10 (Elections)
Other materials used in class:
  • images, charts and videos provided by the tutor
Law
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapter 11 (The Law)
Presentation: the police and prisons in Britain (consult instructor on sources)
Other materials used in class:
  • images, charts and videos provided by the tutor

6 / 27, 28/
10 / No class
7 / 03, 04/
11 / Consultation Week (no class)
8 / 10, 11/
11 / Mid-Term Paper
9 / 17, 18/
11 / Education, class
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapter14 (Education)
Presentation: universities (consult instructor on sources)
Other materials used in class:
  • watching the Ascot scene from My Fair Lady
  • John Lennon: “Working Class Hero”
  • Pulp: “Common People”
  • watching a scene from Keeping up Appearances

10 / 24, 25/
11 / International relations, Euroscepticism
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapter 12 (Internat. Rel.)
Presentation: chapter 15 (Economy and everyday life)
Other materials used in class:
  • Sinead O’Connor: “Famine”
  • U2: “Bloody Sunday”

11 / 01, 02/
12 / Race relations, multiculturalism, religion
Required reading: James O’Driscoll: Britain, chapter 13 (Religion)
Presentation: multicultural Britain (consult instructor on sources)
Other materials used in class:
  • watching a scene from East Is East
  • watching a scene from The Vicar of Dibley
  • Noël Coward: “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”

12 / 08, 09/
12 / Welfare and the media
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapter 18 (Welfare)
Presentation: chapter 16 (Media)
Other materials used in class:
  • newspapers, charts provided by the instructor

13 / 15, 16/
12 / Everyday life, festivals
Required reading: James O’Driscoll, Britain, chapters 23 (Holidays)
Presentation: chapters 17 and 19 (Transport and Housing), 22 (The Arts)
Materials used in class:
  • watching a wedding and the funeral from Four Weddings and a Funeral
  • Muse: “Uprising”

14 / 22, 23/
12 / End-Term Test

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