| CODE | ENG3090 | ||||||
| TITLE | Englishness | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | English | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Objective To provide students with some insights into changing perceptions of Englishness within literary and mainstream culture. Description In an age when the very idea of a stable identity has been problematised, Englishness is a category that is harder to define and which yet continues to attract considerable commentary in both literary and cultural criticism. The course reviews the construction of Englishness as a recognisable category within literary tradition and popular culture, drawing on texts which range from Middle English literature to the tabloid press, and commenting on cultural icons which range from the Globe Theatre to English sitcoms, from roast beef to vindaloo. Other examples may be drawn from popular texts taken from different periods, cinema and television, ‘Britpop’ and its diverse influence and legacies, digital culture, art and architecture, industry, crafts, journalism, and various subcultures. The relation of Englishness to Britishness will be discussed, as will the more generalised relation of Englishness to otherness. The importance in an English degree of a course in Englishness will also be discussed, as indeed will the very institution of the ‘English’ degree. Reading List It is in the nature of the course that there are no set texts, but the following may be useful: - Ackroyd, Peter, Albion (London: Chatto & Windus, 2002). - Bryson, Bill, Notes from a Small Island (1995; London: Harper, 1997). - Baggini, Julian, Welcome to Everytown: A Journey into the English Mind (London: Granta Books, 2007). - Doyle, Brian, English and Englishness (London: Routledge, 1989). - Fox, Kate, Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour (London: Hodder, 2004). - Gervais, David, Literary Englands (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993). - Housman, A. E., A Shropshire Lad (New York: Dover, 1990). - Kumar, Krishan, The Making of English National Identity (Camrbidge: Cambridge University Press, 2006). - Moran, Joe, Queuing for Beginners: The Story of Daily Life from Breakfast to Bedtime (London: Profile, 2007). - Paxman, Jeremy, The English (London: Penguin, 1999). - Williams, Raymond, Culture and Society, new edn (London: Hogarth, 1990). - Richards, Jeffrey, Films and British National Identity (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997). - Storry, Mike, and Childs, Peter, British Cultural Identities (London: Routledge, 2007). |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | Before OR WHILE TAKING THIS UNIT YOU ARE ADVISED TO TAKE ENG2089 | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone Giuliana Fenech |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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