SUMMER 2013 BRITISH CULTURE AND SOCIETY GROUP A

Course Code SS1801

MODULE AIMS
i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

To provide the opportunity for students to develop an understanding and

appreciation of key aspects of contemporary British culture and society, within an
historical context
To introduce students to key cultural and historical sites in England and to encourage
students to visit additional sites independently and to view such places in an
informed and critical way.
To encourage students to make informed, critical comparisons between what they
observe and learn of British society and culture and their own home societies and
cultures
To provide the inspiration and methodologies to pursue an understanding of other
cultures, languages and ideas.

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

TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

The course is delivered through a multidisciplinary programme consisting of:
i.
ii.
iii.

Formal lectures/workshop sessions - sometimes integrated with field activities;

Excursions/tours led by members of the Kingston Faculty or contracted professionals
Self-guided visits to other sites of historic and cultural interest in the London area.

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

HAMPTON COURT PALACE

Fieldtrip
The Magnificence of the British
Monarchy- Henry VIII and his
Court
Discussion : The Monarchy- For
and Against
The British System of
Government
Discussion: British Political
system
Class and Education in Britain

JG

The Media- a tabloid society?

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

Independent London Visit (1)

OXFORD Fieldtrip
Coach leaves at 0900
Discussion session : Class:
Education & the Media
Theatre Lecture
Independent London Visit (2)
STONEHENGE & BATH Fieldtrip
Coach leaves at 0830
Independent London visit (3)
GREENWICH Fieldtrip
Walking tour
Henry VI
SOUTHALL GURDWARA
fieldtrip
Coach leaves at 1000
Multi-cultural Britain
Britain and the World: from
Empire to European Union
Summary and Revision: Cinema
and National Identity
Final test

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

Southall fieldtrip essay

800 words*

15%

Fri 19 July

Independent fieldtrip
essay

1, 500 words

20%

Fri 2 August

Final test

1. MCQ
2. essay

30%

15%

2 x Fieldtrips Papers = 20% each (40% overall)

Independent Fieldtrip paper = 30%
Final Test = 30%
The fieldtrip papers and Independent fieldtrip paper should be submitted via Studyspace. In
case of emergency, you may email the work to me directly, to arrive on the same day.

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.

1. TWO FIELDTRIP ESSAYS (20% each, 40% overall) 800 words

A) Write a short essay on how the group visits listed below have increased your knowledge
and understanding of British society and national culture.
Due date:
Mon 15 July
Mon 22 July
Wed 26 July
Mon 29 July
Fri 2 August

if you select Hampton Court Palace

if you select Oxford
if you select Stonehenge or Bath
if you select Greenwich/Globe
if you select Southall

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.

2. INDEPENDENT FIELDTRIP PAPER (30%) 800 words due Friday 19 July

Write an essay on somewhere you have visited independently. It must be within the UK and
should be somewhere that has contributed to your understanding of British life and culture.
This may include museums or galleries but is not confined to them, and may include cultural
or sporting events, theatre visits etc. However, this should not be a review of a performance
but rather should reflect on what the setting or context told you about British culture. In
writing on any topic you should consider its context, you should consider its history, its
strengths and weaknesses, its audience, and methods of display. It should be obvious that
you have actually been to the place and have engaged with it, i.e. not just a straight factual
description. You may write about a theatre, for instance, its history, significance but you
may not do a theatre review. Thus, an essay on the National Theatre (its history, place in
national culture, sources of funding etc.) based on a visit you made, would be entirely
appropriate, but not a review of the actual play you saw. If you are in any doubt, please ask
me.

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?

2. Should the monarchy be abolished if Britain is to modernise itself?

3. Does the British Prime Minister have too much power?

4. Is Britain still a society dominated by class divisions?

5. Is Britain truly multi-cultural?

6. What are the legacies of empire that you see in Britain today?

7. Can Britain be said to have a distinctive cinema of its own 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?

9. What are the most distinctive qualities of English theatre today?

10. Is Britain too dependent on the United States in foreign policy?

1. FRIDAY 5th JULY

INTRODUCTION: NATIONAL IDENTITY & THE MONARCHY

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

BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY

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.

Politics UK (London: Prentice Hall, 5th. edn. 2004)

Contemporary British Politics (Macmillan 4th edn.
2003)

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, THE EDUCATION SYSTEM & THE MEDIA

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

Britain, London: Bloomsbury

Education Websites:
http://www.jrf.org.uk/JosephRowntree Foundation (on poverty)
www.dfee.gov.ukDepartment of Education and Employment
www.hefce.ac.ukUK higher education system- see The nature of higher education
www.isis.org.uk on private schools
http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa-education-uk-system.htm an overview
Media Websites:
www.guardian.co.uk
www.the-times.co.uk;
www.independent.co.uk;
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.thesun.co.uk

4. FRIDAY 19TH JULY

THE ENGLISH THEATRE

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

5. WEDNESDAY 31ST JULY

MULTICULTURAL BRITAIN & BRITAIN IN THE WORLD

The development of twentieth century Britain through a consideration of the patterns of

inward migration, economic change and government policy in the years following the
Second World War. We also explore Britains changing position in relation to Empire,
Commonwealth, Europe and the USA.
Discussion: Is Britain truly multicultural? How do we compare with your own country?
Discussion: Do you agree with Dean Acheson that Britain has lost an empire and not yet
found a role [in the world]?
Suggested Reading:
Addison, P. & Jones, H., (eds) 2005, A Companion to Contemporary Britain, Oxford:
Blackwell (ch. 27 The End of Empire, ch. 28 The Anglo-American Special Relationship,
ch.29 Britain and Europe)
Adonis. A & Pollard, S. 1998 A Class Act: the Myth of Britains Classless Society, London:
Penguin, 1998, (ch. 9 Race copies will be given out in class)
Commission for Racial Equality, 1996, Roots of the Future: Ethnic Diversity in the Making of
Britain, London, CRE
Marshall, P.J. (ed.) 1996, Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Panayi, P. 2007, Immigration, Multiculturalism and racism in Carnevali, F & Strange, J-M
(eds.) 20th Century Britain, Economic, Social and Cultural Change, Harlow: Longman, 2ndedn.
(ch. 16)
Phillips, T., 1999, Windrush: The Irresistible Rise of Multi-Cultural Britain, London:
HarperCollins
Reynolds, D., 2000, Britannia Overruled: British Policy and World Powers in the
20th Century, Harlow: Longman
Solomos, J., 2003, Race and Racism in Britain, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Fisher, Michael et. Al. A South-Asian History of Britain, chs. 7 & 8
Spencer, I.,1997, British Immigration Policy Since 1939: The Making of Multi-Cultural
Britain
Websites:
http://www.ligali.org/statistics.htmOrganization for African equality
www.cre.gov.uk Commission for Racial Equality
6. FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST

BRITISH CINEMA, SUMMARY & FINAL TEST SESSION

We examine the British contribution to cinema, focusing especially on the importance of

having a national cinema in the face of the global dominance of Hollywood. See section on
assessment for details about the final test.
Discussion: Is there a distinctive British cinema? Can it avoid being dominated by
Hollywood?

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