Anglophone Studies - annotation
1st semester
English I.
Consolidation and enhancement of both language skills and knowledge/usage of grammatical and lexical structures. Development of receptive, productive and mediation language skills. The attention is focused on acquirement of linguistic competences (grammar and lexis) in communicative situations. The development of students´ competences is mediated via selected texts (spoken and written). The comprehension and further interpretation of these texts require an analysis of both the communicative situation, speaker´s intention, social and psychological relations among speakers and the ability to identify various messages. The text comprehension outcome is students´ productive activity.
Introduction to Territorial Studies - Anglophone World
The introductory part of this course aims to familiarise students with the phenomenon of the spread of English as the first or second language, as well as a foreign language. It provides students with information both on statistical data related to speakers and users of English, and on the varieties of English used in different parts of the world. It focuses not only on the national characteristics of individual English-speaking countries but also on the relations among countries within the Anglophone world. The introductory part also addresses the position of Anglosphere in international relations. The course continues with a close description and analysis of individual English-speaking countries .
Introduction to International Relations
International Relations are approaching cross-roads. Many of the discipline’s core assumptions during World War I, II and the Cold War have been challenged by current events. Perhaps the most indicative events have been the 11th September and the ensuing War on Terror. In order to understand the events which are broadcast into our lives on a daily basis, it is essential to understand how the world operates. Theory allows for knowledge of practice.
This course is meant to introduce and familiarise students with International Relations Theory. It covers a wide range of theoretical material supported by historical examples. The result of taking such a course is increasing an understanding of the world. While this course focuses primarily on the international relations environment the international economic system is also explored. Yet the focus of this course is to highlight the different perspectives within the international environment.
Political and Economic Geography of Anglophone Countries
By the end of this course students will have a deeper understanding of theoretical and practical considerations in relation to the Political and Economic Geography of the Anglophone world. The Anglophone world contains a wide diversity of States and formal and informal economic and political groupings. Throughout the course we examine how geographers approach these phenomena, with a particular emphasis on place, space and scale. We are concerned with the ‚realities of place‘ in the Anglophone world rather than an approach based on pure economic theory. The Anglophone World is dominated by the major economies of the USA, UK and ‚core‘ countries e.g. Australia and Canada . However, it also includes countries in Africa, South and South East Asia and this course examines the economic and political linkages between these ‚peripheral‘ regions and the ‚core‘ economies. These relationships are particular important in view of trends towards globalisation. One important question we ask throughout the course is ‚does geography matter?‘ in the Anglophone world in view of the phenomenon of globalisation.
British History I.
The main aim of this course is to explain the most decisive moments of the history of Great Britain and Ireland (the British Isles) from the fifth century to the beginning of the First World War. It is concerned with changes in tribal and ethnic settlement and politics in response to migration and colonisation, invasion and war, and charts the crystallisation of the four major national groupings in the modern British Isles: the English, the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh. In the second half of the course we look at the increasing level of interaction – political, social and economic – of the four nations under the control of a multinational but England-centred state. This United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland became the most successful state of the nineteenth century: its industries thrived, it empire continued to expand, and its political system enjoyed unusual stability. This course explains the United Kingdom’s success, but also considers its limitations and failures – in particular its failure to integrate the people of Ireland more fully into the state.
Introduction to Psychology
The aim of the course is to provide students with the overview of general as well as personality psychology. Students get acquainted with basic areas, topics, key thoughts, theories as well as representatives. Students will acquire orientation in psychological topics, will become accustomed to psychological thinking which will unable them to apply the gained knowledge in solving everyday life problems. The first part of the course will focus on psychology of cognitive procedures, motivation and attitudes, emotional life and learning.
The second part of the course will introduce the personality psychology and will explain the meaning of personality as well as personality structure, dynamics and progress. Students will be encouraged to extend and deepen their knowledge in areas and topics which will be within their scope of interest.
BA Proseminar
This course aims to provide students with knowledge and skills which are needed to be acquired for producing academic writing, essay and dissertation writing. This course also inducts students how to acknowledge sources, how to read and understand specific/scientific/research texts. By the end of the courses students will have learnt how to write an academic text (with focus on researching, structure, and referencing of a particular writing genre). Written assignments set during the course strengthen and verify students´ acquired skills. The course also highlights features of presentations within an academic environment ; the course aims to improve students’ presentation skills. Special attention is given to Writing Essays.
2nd semester
English II.
Consolidation and enhancement of both language skills and knowledge/usage of grammatical and lexical structures. Development of receptive, productive and mediation language skills. The attention is focused on acquirement of linguistic competences (grammar and lexis) in communicative situations. The development of students´ competences is mediated via selected texts (spoken and written). The comprehension and further interpretation of these texts require an analysis of both the communicative situation, speaker´s intention, social and psychological relations among speakers and the ability to identify various messages. The text comprehension outcome is students´ productive activity.
British History II.
This course offers an introduction to the history of Britain and Ireland (the so-called British Isles) from 1914 to 2000. In many ways it is a story of rise, decline and disunion: from a position of immense global significance and national self-confidence in 1890-1914, the United Kingdom by 1950 had lost most of its overseas empire, its global status, and even an integral part of the state territory – after the southern Republic of Ireland came into existence. By 2000 much of the “glue” that had held Britons together in the nineteenth century – Protestantism, empire, war, monarchy – were no longer present or relevant or credible; moreover, in the aftermath of entry into the European Union, Margaret Thatcher’s controversial administration and devolved government for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it seemed to many observers at the start of the new millennium that the last days of the United Kingdom were at hand.
This course explores the key political, economic and social developments which affected the peoples of modern Britain and Ireland . Identifying and assessing the impact of these developments will enable us to consider the present problems related to national identity within Britain and Ireland , as well as the future prospects for these territories.
World Economic Systems
World Economic Systems takes a Comparative Economics approach in an analysis of major world economies. It begins with a theoretical introduction and then a contrast between market and planned economies focused on how these ideas determined the transforming world since 1989. The theoretical framework is developed emphasizing both economic and cultural histories as the drivers for economies today. We then examine the major economic players in the world emphasizing the different approaches taken by the U.S. and U.K., Continental Europe, Russia, China, India and the Islamic States. Students should achieve an understanding that economics is best explained in a broader context than is typically presented in mathematical economic models.
Introduction to Literature
This introductory literature course is designed to help students acquire the tools for understanding, appreciating, and critically analyzing literature as a powerful cultural phenomenon. Class discussions will focus on the three main literary genres: fiction, poetry, and drama, their distinctive features and representative examples from literature in English. Students will acquire some basic theoretical concepts related to literary techniques, critical analysis of literature and its aesthetic appreciation. Reading, analyzing, and discussing a variety of stories, poems, and plays will enhance the students’ critical thinking skills and aesthetic tastes.
Phonetics I.
The course introduces the principles of description of the segmental structure of English. Students will master the use of the correct terminology in describing the system of English phonemes, and their most conspicuous allophones in terms of their production, perception, acoustics and functions in the sound patterns of the language. Together with the thorough study of individual segments, students will understand basic orthographic principles of modern English.
Film in Anglophone countries
The Course intends to provide students with information on the development of the film production in the USA, GB, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It focuses on movies as art and entertainment, but in frames of so called „New Film History“ , it also aims to analyse film as industry requiring both high technologies, needed sophisticated skills and market mechanism at home and abroad as well. From this point of view, film in the English speaking countries is seen as a global product, dependent on particular situation of topícal international relations. Basic changes in film technologies and in film style are shown in short film extracts.
Fine Arts and Music in Anglophone Countries
This course is a basic introduction to visual arts and music of the 20th century in Anglophone countries, particularly the UK and US. The course will provide students not only with a factual knowledge of art movements and notable artists‘ works, but will also enable students to discuss, react, and analyze art from an informed personal perspective. Art and music will be discussed separately, but connections between the two genres will be explored. Upon completion of the course students will have the historical knowledge, academic lexicon, and critical eye necessary to explore today’s English-speaking fine arts and music culture.
3rd semester
English III.
The course focuses on development of communicative competences in the following areas:
linguistic based on the acquired knowledge of grammatical and lexical structures ; pragmatic based on the acquired language functions; strategic based on compensating; sociolinguistic referring to the socio-cultural conditions of language use.
The development of students´ competences is mediated via selected texts (spoken and written). The comprehension and further interpretation of these texts require an analysis of both the communicative situation, speaker´s intention, social and psychological relations among speakers and the ability to identify various messages. The text comprehension outcome is students´ productive activity.
British Political System
The course focuses on the role of individual political institutions in the United Kingdom , their development, influence and their mutual relations. It examines the current functioning of the political processes. Special attention is paid to the reforms of British political system as implemented by the New Labour and current coalition governments. Throughout the course, the general principles and traditions are explained by providing specific examples from the British political life. The role of political institutions is also compared to its counterparts in other consolidated democracies in Europe .
History of the USA
The course covers the following topics: the discovery of America and colonial period of its history ; the war of American colonies for the independence, the origin of the United States of America and its development in the second half of the 18th century; the USA on the break of the 18th and 19th centuries: the age of economic rise, reforms and forming of the civil society, the expansion to the West, immigration and dramatic population development; the causes, course and consequences of the Civil War between the North and the South and so called “period of reconstruction”; the USA on the break of the 19th and 20th centuries: the economic rise, the progressivism, entrance of the country to the world politics, the war against Spain and participation in the First World War; the USA between the two world wars I: “the golden twenties”?; the USA in the times of Great Depression, the attempts of its solving (F. D. Roosevelt and the New Deal); the USA during the Second World War; the USA during the first part of the Cold War: the peace of the 1945 and the beginning of the Cold War (Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and the origin of NATO); the main changes of American home and foreign policy, economy, society and culture in the 1950s-1960s; the main changes of American home and foreign policy, economy, society and culture in the 1970s-1980s; the USA after the end of the Cold War: “the only superpower”, the 11th September 2001 and the war against the international terrorism, the other challenges of the present world and America
Phonetics II.
The course introduces the principles of description of the suprasegmental structure of English. After the introduction of the descriptive framework and terminology, the students will explore the changes in the underlying segmental chains in connected speech and with the patterns of prosodic phenomena in English from the point of view of production, perception, acoustics and functions. Stress, rhythm and intonation will be analyzed and practiced together with the features of English reduction and pseudoresyllabification in continuous speech. The course will also address didactic pronunciation issues, although relatively marginally.
English Literature I.
The course provides a survey of the canonical works of English literature (sixteenth to early nineteenth century). Its focus is on textual analysis in a broader socio-cultural context. Themes are divided into three parts. The first introduces students to early modern transformations of poetic and dramatic genres (the development of the sonnet and the festive comedy of W. Shakespeare). The second is involved with the rise of the eighteenth-century novel and the co-existence of formal realism and classicist values in the work of H. Fielding. The final section moves from classicism to pre-romanticism (sensibility) and romanticism of the turn of the century. The objective of the course is to develop students’ literary-historical consciousness, we shall therefore debate the period contexts and draw lines of relationship between individual periods. An indivisible part of the course is to train students in the ability to read literature critically and express judgements in oral and written form.
Reading English Literature I.
This is a supplementary course to the lecture/seminar series on English literature I . It aims to develop the more general topics presented there. Its focus is the close reading and analysis of the canonical works of sixteenth- to early-nineteenth-century literature written in modern English. These represent the three thematic areas described in English literature I: (Part I based on the poetic and dramatic output of the Renaissance (the main focus will be on the language, imagery a form of the sonnet and the festive comedy of William Shakespeare). Part II deal with the origins of the novel in the eighteenth century and the relationship of realism and classicist values in the work of Henry Fielding. Part III moves from the age of sensibility to the Romantic poetry of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The principal objective of the course lies in developing the ability of assessment, interpretation and critical expression. In-class work therefore relies on discussion and debate (from informal to structured question and response).
Introduction to Irish Studies
The course is designed to provide a basic survey of Irish culture, history and current principal issues of Irish politics. It proceeds largely in a chronological manner, charting seminal eras of Irish history and discussing their contemporary reflections. Students thus get acquainted with the Gaelic social order and Gaelic culture prior to the Plantation of the island, the impact of British colonialism, the struggle for cultural and political emancipation, the nature of the Irish Free State and its transformations through the 20th century, and finally with the era of the so-called “Celtic Tiger“, i.e. the boom of the Irish economy at the turn of the millennium. The course also discusses the violence in Northern Ireland and the steps taken towards its resolution. A central thematic thread that runs through the course is the issue of national identity and its (re)formation in the political and cultural discourse. The course is based not only on important historiographical and theoretical studies, but also on canonical works of Irish literature. Students are moreover introduced to Irish theatre, film, and music. The methodology of the course is strictly interdisciplinary.
Introduction to Canadian Studies
The aim of the course is to identify certain distinctive features of Canadian national culture in relation to the country’s specific geographic and natural characteristics, as well as its historical and socio-cultural development. The basic attributes of Canada , as one of the largest countries in the (not only English-speaking) world, will be discussed together with the key moments of its history. Among the most important aspects of Canada that will be studied will be the relation between the Anglophone and Francophone Canada, the history of immigration, the mainstream society’s interaction with the Aboriginal peoples, and the politics of multiculturalism. The second part of the course will be dedicated to examples of representations of the above mentioned social issues in works of Canadian literature and art.
4th semester
English IV.
The course focuses on development of communicative competences in the following areas: linguistic based on the acquired knowledge of grammatical and lexical structures; pragmatic based on the acquired language functions; strategic based on compensating; sociolinguistic referring to the socio-cultural conditions of language use.
The development of students´ competences is mediated via selected texts (spoken and written). The comprehension and further interpretation of these texts require an analysis of both the communicative situation, speaker´s intention, social and psychological relations among speakers and the ability to identify various messages. The text comprehension outcome is students´ productive activity
Political System of the USA
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the political system of the United States of America through studying the individual branches of the federal government, the history and documents contributing to their creation and development, the political parties functioning within the system, the bureaucracy supporting the system, and current topics of interest and debate. By the end of the course, the students should be able to understand the relationship between the founding documents and their history, the branches and institutions of the federal government, and how these impact in both theory and practice the current policy issues being debated , why they are being debated, how they are being debated, and their importance.
Introduction to English Linguistics I.
The lecture introduces the students to the basic concepts and approaches to the linguistic description of English. The seminar offers them the opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts when studying the phonological, grammatical and lexical strata of the English language. The introductory units describe the overall approach to the description of English applied in the subject (functional-structural approach, contrastive analysis, the levels and corresponding units of description). Afterwards, the focus shifts to the central topic of the course – functional morphology of contemporary English (word classes and grammatical functions) - derivational morphology and sense relations. The course is followed by Introduction to English Linguistics II, dealing with higher grammatical levels and pragmatics.
English Literature II.
The course provides a chronological overview of the development of English literature from the early Victorian era to the present times and as such it is a sequel to the English Literature I course, taken by the students in the previous semester. Emphasis is put on explaining the basic trends in the development of genres and forms through periods and on relevant terminology pertaining to these trends. During the course the students should get acquainted with major representatives of English fiction, poetry and drama of the last two centuries and, simultaneously, learn to understand literature as a dynamic structure closely related to a broader cultural, social and historical context.
The chronological conception not only allows to follow the conditions which determined transformations of the genres and forms but also enables to confront these genres and forms in different phases of their development. Special attention is therefore given to the development of the English novel from the early 19th century (Austen, Scott) up to its contemporary forms. An adequate portion of the course focuses on presenting the basic tendencies in the development of English poetry, leeser attention is paid to the development of English drama (English postwar drama is discussed mostly). In the lectures, basic terms of literary history will be provided and explained (realism, Aestheticism, naturalism, Modernism, postmodernism); methods of representation, narrative strategies, characterisation, etc., will be discussed using extracts from texts.
Reading English Literature II.
The seminar Reading in English Literature II complements the course in English Literature II, working with the texts related to the topics of the lectures. The aim of the seminar is to provide the students with the skills of critical debate, to focus them on issues relevant for respective authors, both form and contentwise, and to teach them to form a critical argument. Students will be encouraged to apply their knowledge gained in the lectures on English Literature II.
Foundations of Philosophy
This course provides an introduction to the key problems of Western philosophy. The course is structured in such a way as to allow the students both to explore the most important and interesting philosophical questions, and to get acquainted with the greatest figures of the Western philosophy by studying their responses to these questions.
Four areas of philosophy will be explored: metaphysics (including the key problems of the philosophy of mind), epistemology (including the questions of the philosophy of language), ethics, and philosophy of religion (in both cases taking into account the insights of Asian philosophy). The students will be encouraged to read fragments of the works of the great philosophers whose thought will be discussed during the lectures. The plurality of philosophical positions will be highlighted, and the challenge of such pluralism addressed in the context of the contemporary pluralism of worldviews and value frameworks on one hand, and the global search of the human family for ethical common ground that seems indispensible for our survival on this Planet. While stressing the theoretical and scientific character of much of the efforts of Western philosophers in the course of history, the students will be invited to discover and to appreciate the “existential” value of philosophical reflection as a search for individual and personal answers to the “big questions” that were always a source of wonder and anxiety for human beings: where does “it all” come from and what is the end of it?; what do we know for sure, if anything?; what is the value of these things to which we devote so much time and energy?; why the human world is such an excruciating mixture of beauty, goodness, suffering and evil?; will we get another chance?
Multiculturalism
The aim of the course is to acquaint the students with the basic theories of multiculturalism and its practical manifestations in contemporary society. Multiculturalism as a cultural and social phenomenon is not only an inevitable expression of the growing globalization of today’s world, but represents also an intellectual and practical challenge in everyday life. The understanding of the inherent principles of multiculturalism and its functions helps the understanding of its specific realizations, as well as anticipating its consequences in concrete social situations. The course is structured according to several methodological considerations: chronological, by which the students will be acquainted with the historical development of multiculturalism as a social policy; ontological, aimed at studying multiculturalism as a political and ethical ideal; thematic, aimed at the analysis of specific manifestations of multiculturalism in various areas of social reality, such as politics, social practice, education, culture and arts.
Gender issues in Anglophone countries
This course will familiarize students with basic, yet fundamental, concepts and theories related to gender as a social construct, to (biological) sex and to relations among/between men and women in the society and culture as seen from interdisciplinary perspectives. Course sessions will deal with various gender-related issues and will be placed within the European context and compared with cultural specificities of American society. Further, issues of multiculturalism, so- called Third World feminism and/or conditions of indigenous people living in English-speaking countries of the Southern hemisphere will also be discussed. Such issues, however, pertain to gender regardless of geographical location. Discrepancies in power relations both between men and women as well as between the so-called First World and the Third world will be then dealt with in a greater detail. Sessions on feminist literary criticism that originated in the U.S. and Britain will focus on the genealogy of women’s writing, constitution of the cannon and feminist and gender analysis of selected literary works.
Selected Aspects of ICT
The course assists students to utilise Information and Communication Technologies in practice and can help graduates apply their skills, for example, in public administration (regional mapping), in culture and politics (interpreting, using and creating data) and in the processing of media (creating e-documents and e-files).
5th semester
English V.
English in social and cultural context. Focus on advanced usage of dictionaries. Extending advanced knowledge of the English language ; analysis of authentic texts an e-documents ; acquiring presentation and resumé skills. The development of students´ competences is mediated via selected texts (spoken and written). The comprehension and further interpretation of these texts require an analysis of both the communicative situation, speaker´s intention, social and psychological relations among speakers and the ability to identify various messages. The text comprehension outcome is students´ productive activity.
Introduction to English Linguistics II.
This course follows the Introduction to the Theoretical Study of the English Language I and familiarizes students with essential terminology and procedures in the linguistic description of English. It aims at the study of higher language levels/planes. The course begins with the outline of syntax of contemporary English only to shift its attention in the second half to the disciplines above syntax, including text linguistics, discourse analysis, stylistics and pragmatics.
American Literature
The aim of this course is to give an overview of the basic trends and canonical works of American literature from the 17th to the beginning of the 21st century. The emphasis is put mainly on the parallels/contrasts with the development of European literature and on the wider issues: historical and political context, social and cultural changes. The lectures are planned partly chronologically, but at the same time they try to capture literary themes with an impact on other, closely connected, humanities. Therefore, the student should be able to not only discuss the problems in literary history, but also to place the individual authors, texts and trends into a larger context.
As to seminars, brief excerpts in the form of handouts will be distributed: both from primary and secondary literature, relevant to the given theme. They will serve as a basis for the discussions.
Reading American Literature
The aim of this course is to build upon the themes dealt with in American literature, and to focus mainly on the actual reading of the individual texts. The analytical skills of the students will be developed. On the basis of primary literature (shorter texts such as poems, short stories and essays will be read, but in full) the students will learn the basic literary terms, as well as apply them meaningfully.
Widely based discussions focused on a given theme are expected, too. The students are expected to understand the ever-changing relationship between literature and a given socio-cultural situation even more deeply.
After this course, the students should be able to, upon recommendation, read further and independently in American literature.
BA Seminar
The course aims to provide students with the essential skills and knowledge successfully complete a BA thesis. Firstly, students learn how to work with primary and secondary information sources. We also examine the specific characteristics of various academic texts and how to read and understand them. Secondly students learn how to prepare and write essays, seminar papers and other written texts as well as power point presentations. We pay attention to structure, layout and appropriate referencing and acknowledgment of sources. Students will display their acquired knowledge via the preparation of appropriate seminars, essays etc. The standard of presentation skills will be assessed in power point presentations on the agreed topic, followed by a discussion where students will practise fundamental aspects of discussing their academic work.
Anglo-Saxon Philosophy
This course provides an introduction to the key issues raised and explored by the British and American philosophers in the course of history, especially the ideas which inspired profound intellectual shifts in the Anglo-Saxon culture as a whole, and indeed in the world’s culture as a whole. For this reason, while studying philosophical ideas of the greatest British and American thinkers, we will analyze their impact on various areas of life of the Anglo-Saxon countries, such as culture, literature, art, social and ethical ideals, and mentality in general.
Among the objectives of the course are: examining the profound impact of the philosophers of the British Enlightenment on the development of liberal democracy in the countries of the British Commonwealth and USA (and through them in the much of the rest of the world); exploring the philosophical aspects of the creative tension between religious and non-religious visions of reality that continue to shape the social and political life of Britain and especially USA; acknowledging the global influence of the Anglo-Saxon moral philosophy (incl. ethics of human rights and global justice, gender equality, sexual non-discrimination, etc); exploring new tendencies in the contemporary British and American philosophy which focus on the challenges of our own age of globalization during which the Anglo-Saxon philosophy is gaining in importance, being often treated as synonymous with “Western philosophy” as such (and “globalization” taken to mean “Americanization”).
English Religious Thought
The mentality of the English people has been deeply influenced by their specific religious sensibility. The genius of Anglicanism and the success of the Tudor monarchy managed to create a clearly defined Englishness, incorporating both Catholic and Protestant elements. The course will look at some of the major literary texts defining this specifically English position in religious matters from the early Reformation to the present. Major emphasis will be put on the definition of Anglicanism to the times of Cardinal Newman. Newman ’s critique, indeed, aimed at reassessing the whole concept of Anglicanism as a via media between Protestantism and Catholicism.
Compulsory literature includes major texts of English literature and culture which attempt at defining the specifically English position in the religious problems of the period. The main objective of the course is to reassess the role of religion as a major aspect of cultural history in the modern era.
Islam in Anglophone Countries
In this course we will study what it means to be Muslim in the Anglophone World. We will look carefully at the challenges facing Muslims in different parts of world, where many are enveloped in a unique religious experience. The course begins by explaining the basic notions of Islam and its development. Next we build an understanding of Islam and its shapes and history in the Anglophone world. By the end of the course the students will be able to analyze representations of Islam and Muslims in the Anglophone countries, and comprehend how those representations are framed.
6th semester
English VI.
Aim (specific terminology of the study programme)
To instruct students to a) communicate fluently and accurately in specific professional contexts such as: public administration, the Media, Czech and international governmental and non-governmental organisations, cultural centres, tourism ; b) to present in oral as well as written form a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
Other Authors Writing in English
This course is designed with the aim of complementing the students knowledge of British and American literature by making them also acquainted with some basic information about other authors writing in English. The lectures focus on the historical development and current trends in Irish, Scottish and Welsh literature (written in English), the bilingual quality of Canadian literature (with an obvious emphasis on authors writing in English), Australian and New Zealand literature and also on Indian, African and Caribbean literature written in English. The follow-up seminar sessions complement these lectures with a close reading of the unabridged assigned texts.
Drama and Theatre in Anglophone Countries
The aim of the course is to provide the students with an insight into the constitutive structural elements of the historical development of drama and theatre in the English speaking countries. The sessions will follow the historical development of both the genre of English-language drama and the format of theatre in the countries of the British Empire, and highlight their essential distinctive characteristics. Both the general and specific tendencies will be evidenced by discussions of representative textual examples of plays and historical documents.
Introduction to Culture and Literature of South Africa
The aim of the course is to make students familiar with „culture“ (viewed anthropologically as a way of life) and literature of contemporary South Africa. The course is divided into two parts. The first part concentrates on the apartheid era that is studied from the perspective of cultural and political anthropology as a unique attempt to engineer human life from “cradle to grave”. In the second part post-apartheid South Africa and the complicated process of democratisation are examined. The social-science perspective of both the epochs is regularly compared with a view of South African literature. The emphasis is laid upon the works by J.M. Coetzee, André Brink, Nadine Gordimer, Breyten Breytenbach, Alan Paton, among others.
Introduction to Australian Studies
This course examines the extent to which early Australian Society was a transposition of English Society. In the lectures and workshops constituting this course, your lecturer, will outline something of the path of Australia from prison colony to an independent Commonwealth of States within the Commonwealth of Nations. In addition to the lectures, which will be illustrated as much as resources will allow, students will have a wide range of interesting assignment topics to choose from, in order to explore areas of interest beyond the outlines provided by the lectures.
Graduate Seminar – History and Culture of Anglophone Countries
This course covers the following topics: h istory and culture of medieval England (until 1485); history and culture of Tudor, Stuart a Hanoverian England (Great Britain) (1485-1832); history and culture of Victorian, Edwardian and War Britain (1832-1918); history and culture of Great Britain in the 20th century (1919-1997); to the cultural aspects of the history of England (Great Britain), its empire and the process of decolonization after the Second World War; history and culture of English (British) settlement in North America before the origin of the USA; history and culture of the USA in the end of the 18. and in the 19. centuries (1789-1914/18)); history and culture of the USA in the 20th century (1919-2001); history and culture of Great Britain and the USA on the break of the 20th and 21st centuries (since 1997/2001); to the history and culture of Australia, Ireland a Canada; British political system, British political institutions and their functioning; American political system, American political institutions and their functioning.
