| 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN WRITING | AMSA2L59 | 20 |
| Seminar discussing 19th century American fiction and non-fictional prose. Alternative timetable slots to C2-C3 are E1-E2 or A4*AX. |
| 20TH CENTURY MODERN POETRY: MODERNISM TO THE 1960S | AMSA2L24 | 20 |
| This module will explore 20th Century American poetry from the turn of the century through to the 1960s. We begin by considering the contributions of Modernist-affiliated poets including Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and Gertrude Stein. We continue chronologically, stopping along the way to study and define the New Criticism, the Objectivist nexus, the Harlem Renaissance, Formalism, Free Verse, the Beats, the New York School and more. |
| ADOLESCENCE IN AMERICAN CULTURE POST-1950 | AMSA2S53 | 20 |
| This module will suggest that there is a preoccupation with adolescence in postwar and contemporary American culture, and will explore why this is the case. It will do so by introducing students to representations of adolescence in various disciplines, focusing particularly on literature, film, psychoanalysis and cultural studies. Questions to be explored will include: What is 'American' about adolescence? How do representations of adolescence vary according to factors such as gender, race and region? Is there a particular discipline or artistic form which is especially suited to depictions of adolescence? |
| AMERICA AND VIETNAM | AMSA2H01 | 20 |
| This module examines the involvement of the United States in Vietnam, from the Second World War to the Paris Peace Accords of 1973. Focusing on the main period of US entanglement, 1963-1973, it uses documents, historical studies, film, and literary texts to illuminate the American experience in Vietnam and its domestic repercussions. |
| AMERICAN MASCULINITIES | AMSA2S02 | 20 |
| This interdisciplinary module will examine how national identity and white masculinity are entwined in a conflicting discourse of hegemonic and challenging narratives in the US. It will focus on a specific construction of white masculinity as it has become embedded and legitimized as the normative national identity against which all others are subordinated. The module will examine gender discourses that radically challenge this accepted link between masculinity, whiteness and national identity. |
| AMERICAN MUSIC | AMSA2S45 | 20 |
| The first book published in the New World was a hymn book. Music, sacred and profane, has been at the centre of American lives ever since. Accordingly, this module will explore the history of American music - but it will also examine the way that its development tells a larger story. Focusing largely on the vernacular musical traditions we will encounter a wide range of musical styles and musicians, each of which has something vital to tell us about the shaping of America. After all, as Plato knew, "When the mode of the music changes, the walls of the city shake." |
| AMERICAN PARIS BETWEEN THE WARS | AMSA2L65 | 20 |
| This module introduces some of the styles, ideas and ideologies of trans-Atlantic modernism as elements in the creation of a myth. It centres on the American expatriate colony in Paris and, from this, works to contextualise and re-imagine some of the century's most notorious literary and artistic moments. Initial studies of the little magazines, manifestos, publishers, painters and photographers provide a sense of the driving political and aesthetic energies of the period, while the module's middle weeks uses this context to re-read a group of expatriate novels. The final three weeks of the course shifts the emphasis to considerations of memory, memoir and the construction of myth. |
| AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY | AMSA2L63 | 20 |
| This module surveys the prose of some of the twentieth century's most important American women writers, writers who (or whose 'other' works) tend to disappear from reading lists that include books by women only out of duty. Along the way we will seek to interrogate the terms with which we begin: American, women and prose. Assuming that biology does not define literature, we will instead seek to understand the social pressures on these women writers, and their responses to them, in an effort to maintain the specificity, diversity and range of these women's literary pursuits. |
| BEGINNERS' ARABIC I | LCSU1OA1 | 20 |
| This is the first part of a beginners' course in Arabic assuming no prior knowledge of the language. The module aims to develop the ability to use Arabic effectively in everyday practical situations with speakers of Arabic both in the UK and overseas. Cannot be taken by final-year LLT students. Alternative and additional slots may be available, depending on enrolment. |
| BEGINNERS' ARABIC II/IMPROVERS | LCSU1OA2 | 20 |
| This is the second part of a beginners' course in Arabic following on from Beginners' Arabic I (LCSU1OA1). Students with a GCSE grade C or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. Alternative slots may be available, depending on student numbers. |
| BEGINNERS' CHINESE I | LCSU1OC1 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in Chinese assuming no prior knowledge of the language. The module aims to develop a basic knowledge of Chinese for practical communicative purposes in everyday situations with speakers of Chinese. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. |
| BEGINNERS' CHINESE II | LCSU1OC2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in Chinese I (LCSU1OC1). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LCS students. |
| BEGINNERS' FRENCH I | LCSU1F11 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in French assuming no, or very little, prior knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. (NB: Alternative slots available depending on student numbers.) If you have GCSE or equivalent, you are not eligible. This is an intensive course designed to bring students to GCSE Level in two semesters. Much work is expected to be done at home, listening to tapes and grammar exercises, for consolidation. |
| BEGINNERS' FRENCH I (SPRING START) | LCSU1F14 | 20 |
| This module is for students at beginners' level who have little or no prior experience of French. The module will develop students' reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The aim is to equip students with the linguistic understanding of a number of real life situations, as well as the ability to communicate effectively in those situations. There will also be opportunities to explore aspects of the cultures where French is spoken. Particular emphasis is placed on acquiring a sound knowledge of grammar. This module has three contact hours per week. |
| BEGINNERS' FRENCH II | LCSU1F12 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in French (LCSU1F11). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LCS students. Students with a GCSE grade C or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. LCS students in this category must then take Intermediate French I (LCSU2F95) to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. (Alternative slots may be available depending on student numbers). This module has three contact hours per week. |
| BEGINNERS' GERMAN I | LCSU1G11 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in German assuming no prior knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. |
| BEGINNERS' GERMAN II | LCSU1G12 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in German (LLTU1G11). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Students with a GCSE grade B or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. LLT students in this category must then take Intermediate German I (LLTU2G97) to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. |
| BEGINNERS' GREEK I | LCSU1OG1 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in Greek assuming no prior knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. |
| BEGINNERS' GREEK II | LCSU1OG2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in Greek (LLTU1OG1). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Students with a GCSE grade C or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. LLT students in this category must then take Intermediate I to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. |
| BEGINNERS' ITALIAN I | LCSU1OI1 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in Italian assuming no prior knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. NB. Additional slots may be available depending on enrolment. Orals are arranged separately. |
| BEGINNERS' ITALIAN II | LCSU1OI2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in Italian (LLTU1OI1). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Students with a GCSE grade C or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. LLT students in this category must then take Intermediate I to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. NB: Additional slots may be available depending on enrolment. Orals are arranged separately. |
| BEGINNERS' JAPANESE I | LCSU1OJ1 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in Japanese assuming no prior knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Alternative groups may be available at C5*6 or D4*DX depending on enrolment. |
| BEGINNERS' JAPANESE I (SPRING START) | LCSU1OJ4 | 20 |
| This module is for students at beginners' level who have little or no prior experience of Japanese. The module will develop students' reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The aim is to equip students with the linguistic understanding of a number of real life situations, as well as the ability to communicate effectively in those situations. There will also be opportunities to explore aspects of the cultures where Japanese is spoken. Particular emphasis is placed on acquiring a sound knowledge of grammar. This module has three contact hours per week. |
| BEGINNERS' JAPANESE II | LCSU1OJ2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in Japanese (LLTU1OJ1). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Students with a GCSE grade C or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. LLT students in this category must then take Intermediate I to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. Alternative groups may be available at C5*6 or D4*DX depending on enrolment. |
| BEGINNERS' RUSSIAN I | LCSU1OR1 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in Russian assuming no previous knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. |
| BEGINNERS' RUSSIAN II | LCSU1OR2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the beginners' course in Russian (LLTU1OR1). Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Students with a GCSE grade C or below (or equivalent experience) may join this module. LLT students in this category must then take Intermediate Russian I (LLTU2OR1) to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. |
| BEGINNERS' SPANISH I | LCSU1H11 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in Spanish assuming little or no prior knowledge of the language. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. (Orals are arranged separately.) |
| BEGINNERS' SPANISH I (SPRING START) | LCSU1H14 | 20 |
| A repeat of module LCSU1H11 for those who wish to start their course in the Spring. This module is not available to LCS students. |
| BEGINNERS' SPANISH II | LCSU1H12 | 20 |
| A continuation of LLTU1H11. Can be taken in any year, but not by final-year LLT students. Also available to otherwise qualified people at module organiser's discretion. LLT students in this category must then take Intermediate I to fulfil their 40-credit requirement. (Orals are arranged separately.) |
| BRITAIN AND EUROPE | PSI-2A32 | 20 |
| The UK’s relationship with its European neighbours has historically been fraught with tension and difficulty. This module investigates and attempts to explain Britain’s ambivalent attitude towards European integration. Considering competing visions of Britain’s post-war destiny, it tracks, through an examination of internal debates in the two main political parties, the UK’s changing European policy from aloofness in the 1950s through the two half-hearted applications for membership in the 1960s to accession in 1973 and the development thereafter of its reputation as an ‘awkward partner’. It examines the impact of EU membership on British politics and the British political system, assesses the success of Britain’s efforts to shape the EU agenda, and critically evaluates arguments for and against British membership, including those concerning British exceptionalism. |
| BUILDING BLOCKS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE | PSI-2A48 | 20 |
| The aim of this module is to introduce students to the key theoretical issues and debates that underpin the discipline of political science so that students understand the main methodological and ideological approaches to political science. It will also be of relevance to international relations students. The module will provide important foundations for the remainder of the politics major degree. It will be one of two compulsory modules for single honours Politics students. The first half of the module will focus on meta-theoretical concerns such as how to compare political phenomena and systems, ideas and material explanation, structure and agency, epistemology and ontology. The second part of the module will be concerned with the way in which these issues inform empirical political analysis. It covers the key empirical debates in political science about power, representation, accountability and policy making in the western democracies. |
| COMPARATIVE POLITICS | PSI-2A45 | 20 |
| The aim of this module is to enable students to develop understanding of political systems in advanced Western states. Students graduating from the module will be able to demonstrate: - critical understanding of the main theories, models and concepts applied in the analysis of political systems and their comparison - knowledge of national political systems and their institutional dynamics, political processes and debates concerning the emergence of new political regimes, the politics of territory, parties and party systems, political leadership, legislatures, interest groups, the state and public policy, and identity and citizenship; - critical awareness of current debates in comparative politics - key skills, including critical evaluation, analytical investigation, written presentation, and oral communication |
| CONSUMER CULTURE AND SOCIETY | PSI-2A50 | 20 |
| This module explores the significance of consumption as a major form of social life. Drawing on a variety of theoretical perspectives, including sociology and cultural studies, it examines how taste, style and identity are defined by consumption and explores how consumerism ties in with wider debates about globalisation and geo- politics. In your assignments you will be asked to apply your knowledge of different theoretical perspectives and critically analyse specific examples of consumerism. |
| CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FICTION | AMSA2L78 | 20 |
| This unit examines some of the ways in which very recent American fiction has responded to postmodernism, to generic border-crossing, and to pervasive cultural and social issues like multiculturalism and identity politics. How does literature imagine itself in an age of increasing globalization of media and literature? How does it respond to challenges to canon formation and to the very notion of the literary? Two Timetable slots: C5*C6 or D5*D6. |
| CONTEMPORARY US FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | AMSA2H41 | 20 |
| The aim of this module is to introduce students to issues in recent American foreign policy for the most part since the end of the Cold War, though with some reference where appropriate to earlier periods and events. We also examine institutional and political processes in policy-making. The module draws on the disciplines of history, political science and international relations to develop historical awareness along with an understanding of the workings of American political institutions in their international context. |
| DEMOCRATIC THEORY | PSI-2A24 | 20 |
| This module considers how the concept of democracy has changed since it originated in ancient Greece and looks at the critiques of democracy advanced by its opponents. The ideas and values underpinning democracy will be examined. The first part of the module focuses on texts by the major democratic thinkers including Locke, Rousseau and Mill. The second part concentrates on contemporary theories of democracy and examines the problems which democracy currently faces and evaluates the solutions proposed, including "electronic democracy" and "cosmopolitan democracy". |
| DISCOURSE AND SOCIETY | LCS-2L91 | 20 |
| Discourse analysis is concerned with how sequences of sentences can be understood as both coherent and meaningful. Language occurs in specific social situations, among specific social actors and for a variety of purposes. Discourse analysis is concerned with the ways in which language in use is tied to its context. This approach is thus at the heart of the analysis of human interaction in society. This module provides the students with analytical tools that can be fruitfully applied to the study of a variety of texts (e.g. media, advertising, politics, education, business, creative writing) and for a variety of purposes (e.g. developing critical understanding, uncovering ideological bias, reproducing texts successfully in translation and achieving the desired impact through one's own writing). Presentations of the main concepts and examples are followed by practice sessions in which students have the opportunity to analyze a variety of texts both for class discussion and for their final project. This module will be taught by a two hour lecture/seminar. |
| DOING IT YOURSELF: PUNK AND AMERICA | AMSA2S05 | 20 |
| Although the exact provenance of ‘punk’ remains a contested issue, since its emergence in the mid-1970s this transnational musical and cultural phenomenon has become very much a part of the American grain. Indeed, punk’s capacity to adopt, appropriate, assimilate, and re-invent a vast and eclectic range of cultural styles, forms, and ideas, as well as its ‘do-it-yourself,’ places it in a longstanding American intellectual tradition of self-reliance and innovation. In this interdisciplinary module, we will attempt to define punk, and consider what it means to be punk, by examining its influence in music, film, poetry, and fiction. The unit will also explore the socio-political implications of punk in terms of gender, sexuality, and community, and question the possibility of punk in an increasingly globalised and commoditised world. |
| FILMS THAT MADE US AMERICAN: THE 1980S THROUGH THE MOVIES | AMSA2S03 | 20 |
| The module will examine America in the1980s. It will look at youth culture, post-Vietnam revisionism and the ‘remasculinization of America’, yuppie culture, and the impact of both AIDS and drug addiction. Core factors of study in this module are the effects of both New Right morality upon the American socio-cultural landscape, and Ronald Reagan as postmodern president administrating to a ‘celluloid America’ of his own fantastic imagining. Overall, the module will offer the chance to analyse the tensions and contradictions of the decade as they were played out in both the content and structure of contemporary American film. |
| GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN THE NEW REPUBLIC | AMSA2H06 | 20 |
| This module examines the social construction of gender and sexuality within the United States during the period 1789-1861. It will trace the emerging gendered discourses of the post-revolutionary period, and address their significance to the formation of an American identity during this period. It will also focus upon the ways in which discourses of gender and sexuality interacted with those of race, class and ethnicity. A particular focus will be placed on the competing and contradictory identities that emerged in the northern and southern states, and the course will explore the possible reasons for, and consequences of these differences. |
| INTERMEDIATE FRENCH I | LCSU2F95 | 20 |
| This is an intermediate course in French and is intended for students who have enough pre-A-Level experience of French and wish to develop their knowledge to a standard comparable to A-Level. The module is made up of three elements, each taught for one hour per week: Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, and Grammar. While the emphasis is on comprehension, the speaking and writing of French are also included. The module is not available to students with AS or A-Level French. This module can be taken in any year. (Alternative slots may be available depending on student numbers.) |
| INTERMEDIATE FRENCH II | LCSU2F96 | 20 |
| A continuation of LCSU2F95. (Alternative slots may be available depending on student numbers.) |
| INTERMEDIATE GERMAN I | LCSU2G97 | 20 |
| An intermediate course in German for students with German GCSE, O-Level or LLTU1G11/12. Includes revision of basic grammar and introduction of new grammar. Not available to students with AS- or A-Level German. Can be taken in any year. |
| INTERMEDIATE GERMAN II | LCSU2G98 | 20 |
| A continuation of LLTU2G97. Open for students with AS-Level (below grade C). |
| INTERMEDIATE GREEK I | LCSU2OG1 | 20 |
| An intermediate course in Greek for those students who have taken Beginners' Greek I and II or who have a GCSE in the language. This module aims to enable students to build on, and further enhance, existing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. A key component is the exploration of themes that develop interculturality. Specific aspects of language are revisited and consolidated at a higher level. The emphasis lies on enhancing essential grammar notions and vocabulary areas in meaningful contexts, whilst developing knowledge of contemporary life and society that focuses on culture and current affairs. |
| INTERMEDIATE GREEK II | LCSU2OG2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the intermediate course in Greek (LCSU2OG1). This module has three contact hours per week. |
| INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN I | LCSU2OR1 | 20 |
| An intermediate course in Russian for those students who have taken Beginners' Russian I and II or who have a GCSE in the language. This module aims to enable students to build on, and further enhance, existing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. A key component is the exploration of themes that develop interculturality. Specific aspects of language are revisited and consolidated at a higher level. The emphasis lies on enhancing essential grammar notions and vocabulary areas in meaningful contexts, whilst developing knowledge of contemporary life and society that focuses on culture and current affairs. This module has three contact hours per week. |
| INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN II | LCSU2OR2 | 20 |
| A continuation of the intermediate course in Russian (LCSU2OR1). This module has three contact hours per week. |
| INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I | LCSU2H11 | 20 |
| An intermediate course in Spanish for those with no more than GCSE, O-Level or Beginners' Spanish. Begins with an intensive revision of Indicative Mood. Can be taken in any year. 3 hours per week. Orals are arranged separately. Alternative slots available depending on student numbers. |
| INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II | LCSU2H12 | 20 |
| A continuation of LLTU2H11. Alternative slots available depending on student numbers. |
| INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS | PSI-2A30 | 20 |
| There are few areas of international politics that remain unregulated by international organisations or informal norms. This module examines the historical development of international organizations, including the UN, NATO, the IMF and the World Bank. It looks at why sovereign states decide to establish international organizations, the factors that determine their design and evolution, and the extent to which their operation reflects underlying power and interests. It critically evaluates the main theories used to explain cooperation between states and the development of international institutions, examines the role played by international organisations in security, trade, finance, gender and environmental policy, and asks whether global governance is possible. |
| INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION | PSI-2A34 | 20 |
| This module will offer an examination of the ways in which violent conflict and the use of force are managed in world politics. The module surveys a variety of perspectives on the causes of war and peace in order to better examine the roots of violent conflicts and security problems in the present day. |
| INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE I | LCSU1OB1 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in British Sign Language assuming no prior knowledge of the language. It is designed to provide students with basic training in communication with deaf people and an awareness of life in the deaf world. Teaching and learning strategies include the use of conversation, role play, dialogue and video work. Assessment is based on a number of sign language tasks and tests plus one short essay. Can be taken in any year. Alternative groups may be available depending on student numbers. Students will have to attend one of the groups which will be taught on Mondays, 10.00 am - 12.30 pm (B2*B3*E4), 1.30 pm - 4.00 pm (C5*C6*C7) or 5.00 pm - 7.30 pm ( A9*10*EY), subject to student enrolment/timetables. |
| INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE I (SPRING START) | LCSU1OB4 | 20 |
| A beginners' course in British Sign Language assuming no prior knowledge of the language. It is designed to provide students with basic training in communication with deaf people and an awareness of life in the deaf world. Teaching and learning strategies include the use of conversation, role play and dialogue. Assessment is based on a number of sign language tasks and tests plus one short essay. Can be taken in any year. Alternative groups may be available depending on student numbers. These groups would be taught on Mondays from 10.00 - 12.30 pm (B2*B3*E4) or 5.00 - 7.30 pm ( A9*A10*EY) subject to student enrolments. |
| INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE II | LCSU1OB2 | 20 |
| A continuation of Introduction to British Sign Language I (LCSU1OB1). Alternative groups may be available depending on student numbers. Students will have to attend one of the groups which will be taught on Mondays at any of the following timeslots: 10.00 am - 12.30 pm (B2*B3*E4), 1.30 pm - 4.00 pm (C5*C6*C7) and 5.00 pm - 7.30 pm (A9*A10*EY), subject to student enrolment/timetables. |
| LANGUAGE AND GENDER | LCS-2L64 | 20 |
| This module explores a variety of matters relating to language and its relationship to questions of gender and sexuality. Do men and women use language differently? Are the genders represented differentially in language and what might this show about socio-cultural ideologies and power structures? Is linguistic behaviour used to create and construct gender and sexual identities? Consideration will include such issues as stereotypical ideas of gendered language, sexist language, how same-sex conversations differ from mixed-sex conversations, how children are linguistically socialised into their gender categories, whether men are from Mars and women from Venus, and so on. Discussion and reading will be informed by a wide variety of ideas from fields such as anthropology, psychology, biology, sociology, and politics (especially feminism). |
| LANGUAGE AND POLITICS | LCS-2L28 | 20 |
| This module provides an opportunity for students to investigate a particular aspect of language - the use and control of a language in relation to power, both within formal political institutions and in the broader public sphere. The module looks at the linkage between language and nation, at censorship, propaganda, patriotism and xenophobia. It places particular emphasis on the acquisition of linguistic tools that will enhance students' ability to analyse varieties of political discourse in action, including parliamentary discourse, political speeches and the numerous forms of media involvement in political processes. |
| LIVING ON THE HYPHEN: CUBAN AMERICA | AMSA2L15 | 20 |
| Since the mid nineteenth century Cuban nationals have been exiled in the United States and created a body of literature alerting the reader to the specifically transnational nature of Cuban identity. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the concomitant political, economic and cultural isolation of the island, the case of Cuba and Cuban exiles in the USA has been seen to be an exceptional and singular phenomenon with few commonalities with other ethnic groups in the United States. Moving beyond a nation-based model and utilising a transnational theoretical framework this course looks at contemporary Cuban and Cuban-American literature and film from both on and off the island in order to reconceptualise the relationship between the island and its exiles, analysing the evolution of the Cuban exile life and the ways in which questions of exile, return, family, belonging, identity, language and memory are explored and how they differ from previous generations for a variety of political, historical, sociological and ideological reasons (to be explored). |
| LOOKING AT PICTURES: PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL CULTURE IN THE USA | AMSA2S48 | 20 |
| Photographic portraits, family albums, anthropological illustrations, lynching postcards, advertisements, food packaging and fashion photos are just some of the pictures that will be "read" and analysed in this module. Students will explore how visual texts can contribute to an understanding of nationhood, class, race, sexuality and identity in the USA. Opening sessions will focus on ways of "reading" visual texts. [No previous experience of working with images is necessary]. Most of the semester will be devoted to analysing how photographic images both reflect and contribute to constructions of American culture. |
| METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH | PSI-2A13 | 20 |
| Students learn how to do research by engaging in a research project. A variety of research skills can be acquired - interviewing, observation, taking fieldwork notes, computerised data analysis, report writing etc. |
| MODERN JAPANESE LANGUAGE HONOURS 2/I | LCSU2J01 | 20 |
| This semester-long Japanese language module is compulsory for all second-year Single Honours Japanese students. Its aim is to build up language proficiency and cultural awareness of Japan. |
| MODERN JAPANESE LANGUAGE HONOURS 2/II | LCSU2J02 | 20 |
| This semester-long module is compulsory for all second-year Japanese Honours students. Its aim is to build up language proficiency and cultural awareness of Japan. |
| NATIVE AMERICANS | AMSA2H15 | 20 |
| This seminar will study Native Americans within the broad context of American history, although the cultures of individual tribes will also be examined. Brief attention will be paid to pre-colonial times, but the main emphasis will be on the period after the white man's arrival. |
| NEW MEDIA AND SOCIETY | PSI-2A27 | 20 |
| For better or worse, new digital technologies are hyped at having revolutionised society. This module will provide students with an introduction to the ways in which the internet and other digital technologies are (and are not) affecting society from theoretical and empirical perspectives, and how society shapes technology. Topics covered include: the evolution of the internet; the "network society"; regulating new media; the radical internet and terrorism; social networking, blogs and interactivity; culture and identity in the digital age; and how the internet affects politics and the media. . |
| NEW YORK CITY: HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THE 20TH CENTURY | AMSA2H10 | 20 |
| This module will explore the history and culture of New York City in the 20th century. The readings, lectures, and discussions will concentrate on ethnic identity, the civil rights movement, public art, political and social conflict, urban development, film, architecture, and literature. The course will also examine why New Yorkers pay inordinate attention to their neighbourhoods and how this emphasis on place has racial and ethnic implications. |
| POLITICS AND MASS MEDIA | PSI-2A02 | 20 |
| Mass media are an inescapable part of contemporary political life. This module examines the effect of mass media on political activity, considering their influence on voter behaviour, party campaigning and government practices. It also looks at the political values expressed within mass media and the political control exercised over mass media. |
| POST A LEVEL SPANISH LANGUAGE 2/I | LCSU2H21 | 20 |
| This semester-long Spanish language module is compulsory for all second-year Single Honours Spanish students as well as being an option for any student who has done Post-A-Level Spanish Language I. Its aim is to build up language proficiency and cultural awareness of Spain and Latin America. (Alternative groups may be available depending on student numbers.) |
| POST A LEVEL SPANISH LANGUAGE 2/II | LCSU2H22 | 20 |
| This semester-long module is compulsory for all second-year Spanish Honours students as well as being an option for any student who has done Post A-Level Spanish language 2/I (or equivalent). Its aim is to build up language proficiency and cultural awareness of Spain and Latin America. For one of the three weekly contact hours, students will be able to choose either Translation or Business as an option. (Alternative groups may be available depending on student numbers.) |
| POST A-LEVEL FRENCH LANGUAGE 1/I | LCSU1F21 | 20 |
| A Post A-Level module designed to develop overall competence, with emphasis on grammatical accuracy and on the promotion of autonomous learning and transferable skills. Consisting of a lecture, one hour oral, and two hours of 'travaux diriges' in small groups for which extra slots are available. Not available to French native speakers or those with equivalent competence. |
| POST A-LEVEL FRENCH LANGUAGE 1/II | LCSU1F22 | 20 |
| A continuation of module LCSU1F21. |
| POST A-LEVEL FRENCH LANGUAGE 2/I | LCSU2F01 | 20 |
| This French Honours language module is compulsory for all second-year Single Honours French students. It is designed to build up linguistic proficiency, cultural knowledge and learning skills in preparation for the Year Abroad. Activities focus on promoting self-direction in language learning, and draw on a variety of resources, including electronic resources, for in-class, self-access and group project work (oral, aural, written). Seminars are taught in French. (Alternative groups will be available for seminars.) |
| POST A-LEVEL FRENCH LANGUAGE 2/II | LCSU2F02 | 20 |
| This module is the continuation of the Post A-Level French Language 2/I module (LCSU2F01) and is compulsory for all second year French Honours students. There is a core element to this module which takes up the objectives of LCSU2F01 in a translation hour (D2 or E3) and a year abroad preparation oral class. There are three additional strands. Each student will take one of these strands: i) Introduction to Interpreting (obligatory for Q9R8 students) (A3*B4), ii) French Law and Society (C3*D4) or, iii) French for Business (obligatory for R9N2 students) (A7*A8). Non-Q9R8 and non-R9N2 students will be asked to state a preference in the Autumn semester. |
| POST A-LEVEL GERMAN LANGUAGE 1/I | LCSU1G21 | 20 |
| A basic module in post A-Level German (also open for students with AS-Level grade A) consisting of revision and extension of selected areas of advanced grammar and reading and discussion of newspaper articles. Its aim is to develop competence in all areas of spoken and written German. This module is not available to native speakers or those with equivalent competence. |
| POST A-LEVEL GERMAN LANGUAGE 1/II | LCSU1G22 | 20 |
| A continuation of post A-Level German I consisting of revision and extension of selected areas of advanced grammar and reading of texts and discussion of relevant topics. Its aim is to develop competence in all areas of spoken and written German. Not available to native speakers or those with equivalent competence. |
| POST A-LEVEL JAPANESE LANGUAGE 1/I | LCSU1J21 | 20 |
| A Post A-Level module designed to develop overall competence, with emphasis on grammatical accuracy and on the promotion of autonomous learning and transferable skills. It aims to enable students to build on, and further enhance, existing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. |
| POST A-LEVEL JAPANESE LANGUAGE 1/II | LCSU1J22 | 20 |
| A continuation of module LCSU1J21. This module is not available to native speakers or those with equivalent competence. |
| POST A-LEVEL SPANISH 1/I | LCSU1H21 | 20 |
| An advanced course in Spanish for students with Spanish A-Level, Intermediate Spanish (LCSU2H11 & 12), or any other equivalent qualification. This module can be taken in any year. (Alternative slots may be available depending on student numbers.) Orals are arranged separately. This module is not available to native speakers or those with equivalent competence. |
| POST A-LEVEL SPANISH 1/II | LCSU1H22 | 20 |
| A continuation of module LCSU1H21. This module is not available to native speakers or those with equivalent competence. |
| POWER AND SOCIETY | PSI-2A35 | 20 |
| This module introduces students to some of the key perspectives in social and political theory. Central to this module is an interest in the relationship between economic, social and cultural structures and individual agency and identity. Themes explored in this module may include the following: structuralism, social conflict and consensus; Marxist approaches to ideology and power; structuralism; poststructuralism and language; ideology and discourse; the end of ideology; postmodernity; the self and consumer society. |
| PROTESTING THE AMERICAN CENTURY: DISSENT AND US FOREIGN POLICY | AMSA2H13 | 20 |
| The module considers dissent and protest vis-à-vis US foreign relations during what was famously termed the ‘American Century’. It looks at how dissenting voices – from government officials, military officers, intellectuals, spies, citizen groups, and whistleblowers – have challenged the status quo from 1898 to the present. Analysing the connections with other protest movements at home, it explores how opposition to unjust US policies abroad is considered a quintessential American characteristic. It looks at the writings and activities of a wide range of political figures, activists, and writers, including George Kennan, Walter Lippmann, Seymour Hersh, Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Philip Agee, as well as the emergence of classified material into the public domain such as the Pentagon Papers and WikiLeaks State Department cables. Finally, it considers the effort to oppose and, in some cases, silence critical voices. |
| RACE AND RACISM IN THE USA | AMSA2H32 | 20 |
| This seminar will explore the origins and continued role in American culture of the idea of race. Where did the concept of race come from? And to what uses has it been put by various groups within America's pluralistic society? Restricted to students on programmes in American History or Literature, or who have previously done modules on race. Not available to first year students. |
| RADICAL COUSINS OR RIVAL SIBLINGS? U.S. AND AUSTRALIAN LITERATURES. | AMSA2L18 | 20 |
| This module takes as its point of departure critic Joseph Jones’ representation of America and Australia as “radical cousins” and extends this formulation to ask whether they might equally be thought of as rival siblings. From its establishment as a penal colony in 1788—in large part as a result of the newly independent United States’ refusal to harbour Britain’s convicts any longer—Australia remained loyal to the Empire, even as it looked increasingly to the United States for guidance in matters of politics and popular culture. The module compares American and Australian literature from the past century or so in order to examine how both countries have engaged and explored shared questions about settler and post/ colonial identity; the staging of cultural independence from Great Britain; the size and scope of the natural environment; and gender performance, among others. |
| STUDY ABROAD MODULE | PSI-2A18 | 60 |
| The School of PSI has various arrangements with overseas Universities where it is possible to spend a semester studying abroad. For more information on this please contact the PSI Teaching Director, Dr T Dant - or the UPO HUM Office. |
| THE BEATS AND THE LIMITS OF WRITING | AMSA2L84 | 20 |
| This module covers the writers known as ‘The Beats’ in terms of their antecedents, the literary and cultural traditions in which they worked, and the social and critical debates that raged during their heyday. Students will be asked to read widely, to compare and contrast different writers’ styles, and to make informed judgements about the writers’ relationships to the times in which they wrote. The module aims to foster an understanding of the Beat literary phenomenon in literary, political and social contexts. It will also examine the debts Beat writers owed to ‘American Renaissance’ writers including Emerson and Whitman, to wider ideas of the ‘avant-garde’ in the Twentieth Century generally, and to European Romantic traditions. It will investigate how a Beat poetics developed as a response to Cold War ‘consensus culture’, and sought to establish a countercultural (though distinctly American) ‘tradition’. |
| THE COLD WAR AND AMERICAN CULTURE | AMSA2H44 | 20 |
| This module explores the way in which American society and culture was shaped during the years of the Cold War, the tense standoff between the two “superpowers” between the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The work includes consideration of the key events, issues, and concepts in the history of the Cold War, from the division of Europe and the Marshall Plan, the emergence of the Truman Doctrine, the impact of the Chinese Revolution, through the Cuban missile crisis, the period of detente in the 1970s and the chilling of US-Soviet relations during the “second Cold War” of the early 1980s. Particular attention is given to the impact of those events in the USA, upon the ways in which Cold War anxieties were represented – and, also, the ways in which anxieties about American society became meshed in the Cold War. Discussion will range across issues from the bomb and the space race to the family, gender, and race. Throughout, particular use will be made of visual sources and film. |
| THE HOLOCAUST IN AMERICAN LITERATURE | AMSA2L82 | 20 |
| This module aims to explore representations of the Holocaust in American literature. Students will explore how the Holocaust is represented by American Jewish and non-Jewish authors. Students will consider whether, and how, the Holocaust is ‘Americanised’ by American writers; they will consider some of the ethical and philosophical debates concerning representation of the Holocaust in art; they will examine how American Jewish writers engage with the Holocaust to negotiate questions of Jewish identity; and they will consider the problematic uses and definitions of the term ‘holocaust’ in American culture. |
| THE MEDIA AND IDENTITY | PSI-2A26 | 20 |
| Drawing on a range of theoretical approaches in the field of media and cultural studies, this module explores the relationship between media culture and social identities. Discussing the representation of identity in media content, as well as issues of media production, regulation and consumption, it critically reflects upon the relationship between media culture and social power and considers how social and technological changes impact on the ways in which identity is experienced in everyday life. On successful completion of this module, students should be able, at threshold level, to critically reflect upon the ways in which media texts construct social identity and should be able to discuss the relationship between media and identity with awareness for social, institutional and technological factors that shape both media production and consumption. |
| TOPICS IN BRITISH POLITICS | PSI-2A16 | 20 |
| This unit examines in some depth four issues or topics in British politics or government. Topics recently covered include the reform of Parliament including the Lords, changing patterns of electoral behaviour, the issue of electoral reform and the changing role of the Prime Minister. |
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