DEPARTAMENTO DE LINGUÍSTICA E LITERATURAS

ESCOLA DE CIÊNCIAS SOCIAIS

ENGLISH CULTURE

2017/2018

In modernity time has history, it has history because of the perpetually

expanding ‘carrying’ capacity of time – the lengthening of the stretches of
space which units of time allow to ‘pass’, ‘cross’, ‘cover’ or conquer.

Zygmunt Bauman. Liquid Modernity (2000)

Ana Clara Birrento (birrento@uevora.pt) – office 229 CES

Office Hours: Wednesday – 14:00 to 16:00
Course Description

The course will examine the main social, political and artistic developments of British society, engaging in a survey of
British culture and civilization. Aiming at a better-informed understanding of Britain’s diversity and achievements, the
course will focus on the development of the English thought and history, and will lay a solid foundation for
appreciating change and the questions that have helped in the making of Britain and in its identity, and have been
formative in shaping the world as we know it today. The course provides students with the experience of the cultural
richness of English life and history, enabling them to recognize the roots of many of the current debates over
movements of thought, science and religion, educational reforms, and political power and structures. Grounded on a
set of readings and the watching of videos/films, the course will examine the intellectual and historical developments
that have shaped the modern British era, taking the students through geographies of identity.

Course Contents
1. The notion of culture
1.1. Culture and civilization tradition vs. Cultural Studies
1.2. Culture and Identity: becoming British
1.3. Culture and Language: developments of British English
2. ‘Highlights’ of British history and civilization:
2.1. The Roman and Norman Conquests
2.2. The Middle Ages
2.3. The Tudors and the building of the nation
2.4. The English Civil War and Restoration
2.5. The Victorian Frame of Mind: Age of Reform and Empire
2.6. The First and Second World Wars
2.7. Britain Now

3. Contemporary British cultural identities:

3.1. England in the wider world: the Commonwealth and the European Union
3.2. Places and People: the four nations
3.3. Education
3.4. Leisure, sports and the arts
3.5. Class and Politics
3.6. Religion
3.7. Traditions and customs
Objectives

1. To analyse aspects of British culture;

2. To introduce students to major cultural and historical sites of national identity;
3. To provide the opportunity for students to develop an understanding and appreciation of key aspects of
contemporary British culture and society and their historical contexts;
4. To synthesize and address the major events, ideas, and transformations in English religious, social, cultural,
political and economic history from the earliest English settlements to the present.
5. To critically analyze primary sources to investigate specific events.

Learning Outcomes 
On completion of the course students should:

1. To know and understand some of the main historical antecedents of key aspects in British culture and
society;
2. To be familiar with some of the major social, political, economic and cultural issues in contemporary
Britain;
3. To research independently and write findings clearly, interestingly and critically, using basic academic
referencing
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
BLACK, Jeremy. A History of the British Isles. Basingstoke. Palgrave Macmillan. 1996
COLLS, Robert. Identity of England. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2002
CHRISTOPHER, David P. British Culture, An Introduction. 3rd edition. London and New York: Routledge, 2015.
FOX, Kate. Watching the English : The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour. Great Britain: Hodder. 2005
HIGGINS, Michael. Et al. The Cambridge Companion to Modern British Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press. 2010.
MARR, Andrew. The Making of Modern Britain. London: Macmillan. 2009
OAKLAND, John. British Civilization: An Introduction. Eighth Edition. London and New York: Routledge. 2016
O’ DRISCOLL, James. Britain for Learners of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009
PAXMAN, Jeremy. The English, a Portrait of a People. London: Penguin. 1998
STEINBECK, Susie L. Understanding the Victorians, Politics, Culture and Society in Nineteenth-Century Britain. 2nd
edition. London: Routledge. 2017
STORRY, Mike ; CHILDS, Peter. British Cultural Identities. Fifth Edition. London and New York: Routledge. 2017
WAR, Vron . Who Cares About Britishness  ? A Global View Of the National Identity Debate. London: Arcadia Books.
2007

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING

Under the rule of the Regulamento Académico da Universidade de Évora (RAU) and the Regulamento de Avaliação de
Conhecimentos (DLL), students are allowed to choose between continuous assessment and exam. For both forms of
assessment the passing mark is ten.

1. Continuous Assessment

 Mid-Term Assessment: oral or written presentations and all other forms of participation (50%
of the final mark)

 Term Assessment: written test (50% of the final mark); should students get less than 8, they will
have to sit the final exam

2. Exam and Final Exam

 One comprehensive final written exam paper in January 2018, worth 100%.
 Should students get a grading mark between 8 and 9, 4 they will have to sit an oral exam.

A Note on Class Participation

Participation in our group work is a vital part of this course; you can expect your final course grade to reflect the
extent to which you have made consistent, helpful, and thoughtful contributions to our work.

And Another on Attendance

Class meetings are important for many reasons, and to miss them is to miss a significant component of the class that
cannot be "made up" in any way. Thus, students should pay attention to the following compulsory rules of assiduity,
as written in RAU (article 87º). For any of the assessment methods students should sit at least 75% of the classes.