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History - Britain - British Culture PDF
History - Britain - British Culture PDF
History - Britain - British Culture PDF
MODULE AIMS
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of the course students should:
i. Know and understand some of the main historical antecedents of key aspects in British
culture and society
ii. be familiar with some of the major social, political, economic and cultural issues in
contemporary Britain
iii. be able to compare and contrast their home culture and society with British culture
and society.
iv. Research cultural institutions independently and write findings clearly, interestingly
and critically, using basic academic referencing
Date
Friday 5
July
Monday 8
July
Time
10001100
Place
JG Building
11001200
0900
JG
1430
JG
15301630
0930
JG
10151100
11151215
1400
0845
JG
JG
1000
110011301330
PM
0815
JG
1000
Wed
10 July
Wed.
17 July
Friday
19 July
Monday
22 July
Wed
24 July
Friday
2 Aug
JG
Seething Wells
JG
Seething Wells
AM
1400
Wed
31 July
Parr Boats
Landing
Hampton
Court Palace
Lecture
Introduction
What is Britain? British National
Identity
The Monarchy
1930
0945
Greenwich
Visitor Centre
Globe Theatre
Seething Wells
1400
JG
1000
JG
11301300
JG
Lecturer
Matthew
Cunningham
Irene Luna
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
Patsy Trench
MC
MC
MC
MC
GENERAL READING
No prior reading is required and there is no recommended up-to-date text for this course.
However, texts listed below by McDowall, ODriscoll and Oakland are suitable for those
wanting a general text. The others are better for reference, using particular articles as
needed.
Addison, P. & Jones, H., 2005, A Companion to Contemporary Britain Malden, MASS:
Blackwell
Carnevali, F & Strange, J-M (ed.), 2007, 20th Century Britain, Economic, Social and Cultural
Change, Harlow: Longman
Christopher, D. P., 2006, British Culture: An Introduction, London: Routledge
Higgins, M., et al, 2010, The Cambridge Companion to Modern British Culture, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
McDowall, D., 1999, Britain in Close-Up: An In-depth Study of Contemporary Britain, Harlow:
Longman
ODriscoll, J., 1995, Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oakland, J., 1998, British Civilization, London: Routledge
FIELDTRIPS
Kingston and Surbiton town centres: Walking tours to familiarise the students with their
local environment, amenities and transport system. http://www.kingston.gov.uk/leisure/tourism.htm
Hampton Court Palace: One of Henry VIIIs favourite palaces, which clearly demonstrates
the magnificence of his reign. http://www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/hampton_home.asp
Oxford: with a walking tour of the ancient heart of the city, giving an introduction to the
architecture, history and way of life in Britains oldest university. http://www.oxford.gov.uk/
http://www.ox.ac.uk/
Stonehenge & Bath: A visit to Stonehenge, a world heritage site, and then a visit to Bath
where the Roman Baths and outstanding Georgian architecture can be seen.
http://exn.ca/mysticplaces/stonehenge.asp http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/
Greenwich: Includes a visit to the Old Royal Observatory, the Royal Naval College and the
Queens House designed by Christopher Wren and Inigo Jones respectively.
http://www.greenwichwhs.org.uk/places/index.asp
Globe Theatre: A visit to watch a play performed in the round in the replica of Shakespeares
original theatre. You will be a groundling. http://shakespearesglobe.org/navigation/frameset.htm
Southall Gurdwara: This fieldtrip allows us to see the largest and newest Sikh temples
outside India. It gives a real insight into the religion of one of the most important South
Asian communities in Britain. http://www.sgsss.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurdwara_Sri_Guru_Singh_Sabha
ASSESSMENT
Deadline
Mon 15 July
Assessment
Hampton Court Palace
fieldtrip essay
Length
800 words*
Weighting
15%
Mon 22 July
Oxford
fieldtrip essay
800 words*
15%
Fri 26 July
Stonehenge or Bath
Essay
Fieldtrip essay
800 words*
15%
Mon 29 July
Greenwich or Globe
Theatre
800 words*
Fri 2 August
800 words*
15%
Fri 19 July
Independent fieldtrip
essay
1, 500 words
20%
Fri 2 August
Final test
1. MCQ
2. essay
30%
15%
ATTENDANCE
You are expected to attend all lecture sessions and group trips. Up to a maximum of 20%
will be deducted from the final overall grade for non-excused absences from lectures and
fieldtrips. This will be at the rate of 3% for each unexcused absence.
You should write about an aspect of the visit that impressed you and developed your
understanding of British life and culture. You are encouraged to be creative in your
approach to the essay and its presentation. The article may be illustrated and laid out as you
wish, although illustration must take up no more than half the space.
The best articles will blend some personal response with informed insight. You need to do
some research for the article, perhaps from guide books, the Library, or the internet.
Sources, including internet sources, should be listed in a bibliography at the end, and any
direct quotations should also be referenced.
Hopefully you should find the articles a good record of your trips and useful to send back to
the States to keep people informed of what you are doing.
You can only write an essay on a visit that you have actually attended. The only exception to
this is if you have an absence excused on medical grounds.
3. FINAL TEST (30%) Friday 2 August, One and a half hours, 2.00-3.30pm
This test will consist of two parts:
A: a multiple choice section (10%) covering topics covered in the field-trips and in the
lectures.
B: Write short essays (20%) (approx. 2-3 sides A4) on TW0 of the following questions:
1. Is there such a thing as a British national identity?
6. What are the legacies of empire that you see in Britain today?
8. 'Every nation gets the newspaper industry it deserves'. Is the success of the tabloid press
in Britain a reflection of the low standards of popular taste?
An overview of the course format, lecture and fieldtrip schedule and an explanation of how
you will be assessed. We will then move on to ask if Britain, which comprises four separate
nations, has a united national identity? How has this identity been formed historically,
especially in the world wars of the twentieth century, and how has this identity been
fractured since 1945? We will finish this session with a discussion of the monarchy and its
reception by the British people.
Discussion: What characteristics do you associate with Britain and Britons? Where did
your images come from? Do they match up to reality? Is there a united national identity?
Discussion: What are the powers of the monarch? What are the arguments for and
against the British monarchy?
Suggested Reading:
Calder, A., 1991, The Myth of the Blitz, London: Pimlico (Intro. & Conc.)
Colley, L., 1992, Britons. Forging the Nation 1707-1837, New Haven: Yale
Coxall, B. et al, 2003, Contemporary British Politics, Basingstoke: Macmillan 4thedn.
Kumar, K., 2003, The Making of English National Identity, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press (ch. 1 English or British?)
Norton, P., 1998, The Crown' in Jones, Bill, et al. ed., Politics in the UK, London: Prentice
Hall, 3rd edn ODriscoll, J., 2009, Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press. (chapter. 1
Country and People)
Richards, J., 1997, Films and British National Identity: From Dickens to Dads Army,
Manchester: Manchester University Press (ch. 1 National Identity)
Websites:
royal.gov.uk, the monarchys site is excellent and has lots of information
2. MONDAY 8TH JULY
In this session we will address the historical processes by which Britain arrived at its current
democratic system. We will question how democratic the present system is in practice, the
nature of the main political parties, and pressures for reform.
Discussion: Britain is very proud of its democratic heritage, but does the system need
reforming now to make it more modern and more genuinely democratic? In what ways do
the two major political parties, New Labour and Conservative differ?
Jones, Bill, et al. ed.,
Coxall, Bill et al.
Websites:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/key%20issues/Full%20doc.p
df
[excellent for information on the new Parliament 2010]
www.parliament.uk/hophome.htm is the site for Parliament and is excellent
www.charter88.org.uk for proposals for a written constitution for Britain
Political parties:
www.labour.org.uk The Labour Party website
www.conservative-party.org.uk The Conservative Party website
3. WEDNESDY 10TH JULY
Class has traditionally been an obsession of the British, but are we changing and becoming
more egalitarian in our attitudes? We will also look at the structure and evolution of the
English education system, with a particular emphasis on the role of class in determining
educational opportunity. In the second half of the class we concentrate on the diverse
British press and the system of public service broadcasting which has been dominant here
since the 1920s and has at its core the renowned BBC. Can this system last?
Discussion: Why is class so important to the British? What are the strengths and
weaknesses of its education system?
Discussion: Is the popularity of tabloids like The Sun a sign of dumbing down of British
culture? Is British television the least bad television in the world?
Suggested Reading:
Adonis, A, & Pollard, S. A., 1998, Class Act. The Myth of Britain's Classless Society,
London: Penguin (chapter 2)
Barnet, S., 1998, 'Dumbing Down or Reaching Out: Is it Tabloidisation Wot Done It?',
in Seaton J. (ed.) Politics and the Media: Harlots and Prerogatives at the Turn of the
Millennium, Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 75-90
Calvocoressi, P., The British Experience 1945-75, London: Penguin, 1979
Lowe, R, 1997, Schooling and Social Change 1964-1990, London: Routledge (ch.1
'The Power of the Past')
Curran, J. and Seaton, J. Power Without Responsibility. The Press and Broadcasting in
Britain (Routledge, 1991)
McDowall, D., 1999, Britain in Close-Up: An In-depth Study of Contemporary Britain, Harlow:
Longman (chapter. 11 Educating the Nation)
McNair, B., 1999, News and journalism in the UK, London: Routledge
Sanderson, M., 'Education and Social Mobility" in Johnson, P. (ed.) 1994, 20th Century
Britain, Harlow (chapter 21)
Sparks, C. , 1999, The Press in J. Stokes & A. Reading, The Media in
Britain, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan
Taylor, S.J., 1991, Shock! Horror! The Tabloids in Action, London: Bantam
Watson, K., Education and opportunity in Carnevali, F & Strange, J-M (eds.), 2007, 20th
Century Britain, Economic, Social and Cultural Change, Harlow: Longman, 2ndedn (ch. 23)
Williams, K., 2009, Get me a Murder a Day. A History of MassCommunications in
Examines what makes theatre such a distinctive form of the arts. Looks at the different
types of theatre in Britain: West End, subsidized and fringe. Traces the development of
theatre in Britain, with special emphasis on the Shakespearean period. Provides a
background for the play that students will be attending.
Discussion: What makes theatre a special experience? What is special about British
theatre?
Suggested Reading:
Billington, M.,2007, State of the Nation. British Theatre since 1945, London: Faber and Faber
Brook, P., 1990,The Empty Space, London: Penguin
Edgar D., (ed.) 1999, Playwrights on Playwriting, State of Play,no. 1 London: Faber and
Faber
Kustow, M., 2001,Theatre@risk,London: Methuen
Shakespeares Globe Theatre Guidebook, Spinney Publications
Trussler, S.,1994, The Cambridge History of the British Theatre, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Websites:
www.shakespeares-globe.org
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
www.whatsonstage.com
www.fringetheatre.org.uk
www.officiallondontheatre.com
Suggested Reading:
Thompson, K. & Bordwell, D., 1994 Film History, New York: McGraw Hill
Hill, J., 1999, 'Cinema' in Jane Stokes & Anna Reading (eds.) The Media in Britain;
current debates and developments, (Macmillan 1999)
Hill, J., British Cinema as National Cinema: Production, Audience and
Representation in Turner, G. (ed.) The Film Cultures Reader, London, Routledge: 2002)
Street, S., 2009, British National Cinema, London and New York: Routledge