Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.

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The course, supports and examination are in English.

The course is designed to be an initiation to the diversity of the English-speaking world and the fundamental problems it faces (power, identity, sphere of influence, among others).

A good (active) knowledge of English is essential to follow this course. The course, the teaching materials and the examination are all in English.

he title of the course clearly indicates the intention to take the multiple identity aspect into account. The culture of the English-speaking world refers to a broader reality than that of Anglo-Saxon or Anglo-American culture. With the English language as a common theme, we will cover some English-language authors from Africa (Wole Soyinka, Nadine Gordimer, J. M. Coetzee, et al), the Caribbean (V.S. Naipaul, Jean Rhys, et al) or the Indian subcontinent (Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie, R. K. Narayan, Nadeem Aslam, et al). This approach will enable us to discuss, among others, the relationship between culture and power (Edward Saïd). Of course, “classical” Anglo-American authors will also be part of the course and are listed in the syllabus: Elizabeth Gaskell, William M. Thackeray, Harper Lee, Allen Ginsberg, et al.

The course is structured around four main themes, which, together, will paint a broad picture of a wide range of the English-speaking world's cultural aspects. Following the introduction, designed to define the very notion of “culture”, the course is built upon the following themes:

1. The political culture of the English-speaking world: contemporary institutions and problems (e.g. role of the United Kingdom in the E.U.; role of religion in the political debate in the USA…);
2. The social culture of the English-speaking world: besides the treatment of the native populations of the USA, the cause of the black people is emblematic of an obvious failure on the other side of the Atlantic, from the Civil Rights movement of the 50-60s to affirmative action nowadays. Will Barack Obama's election mark a significant evolution for these minorities? We will also analyse the healthcare system in the English-speaking world;
3. The economic culture of the English-speaking world: beyond the scenes from Epinal, we will assess the reality of the opposition between the State-driven economy approach in Europe and the economy-driven approach in the USA (through the prism of public services);
4. The legal culture of the English-speaking world: this issue will be discussed through the prism of the supposed efficiency of Common Law and through a reflection on the question of the Americanisation of law around the world.

The course is based on lectures with intervening discussions on texts, which the students should have read and analysed in advance. These discussions will further the students' understanding of the theoretical topics covered during the lectures. They will also serve to develop the students' ability to take part in discussions in order to attain a certain level of fluency. In addition to the compilation of texts and the course outline, PowerPoint presentations accompany the lectures.

The evaluation is carried out by means of an oral examination. The examination criteria include the evaluation of the students' understanding of the subjects covered during the course, the structure of their reasoning, their analytical and summarising skills as well as their ability to establish relations between the various parts of the subject matter. The examination also takes into account the clarity of the presentation. No documents are allowed during the examination.

The bibliography for each part of the course is summarily described as follows:

Introduction: Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism (London: Vintage, 1993) ; Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian (London: Penguin, 2005) ; Norman Davies, The Isles. A History (London: Macmillan, 1999) ; Simon Schama, A History of Britain, 3 vol. (London: BBC Worldwide Ltd., 2002) ; David Crystal, The English Language (London: Penguin, 1988) ; Michael Edwards, Racine et Shakespeare (Paris: PUF, 2004) ; Steven Johnson, Everything Bad is Good for You (London: Allen Lane, 2005) ; James E.B. Breslin, Mark Rothko. A Biography (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993) ; Robert Hughes, Culture of Complaint. The Fraying of America (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993).

1) Political culture: J. Steven Watson, The Reign of George III, 1760-1815 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960) ; Sir Llewellyn Woodward, The Age of Reform, 1815-1870 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1962) ; Sir Robert Ensor, England, 1870-1914 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1936) ; A.J.P. Taylor, English History, 1914-1943 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965) ; Godfrey Hodgson, More Equal Than Others (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004) ; Seymour Martin Lipset, American Exceptionalism (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1996) ; Anthony Sampson, Who Runs This Place ? The Anatomy of Britain in the 21 Century (London: John Murray, 2004) ; Pascal Gauchon (Ed.), L'exception américaine (Paris: PUF, 2004) ; Paul Kennedy, Preparing for the Twenty-First Century (NewYork: Random House, 1993).

2) Social culture: A.H. Halsey, Change in British Society (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1991) ; Robert Hughes, Culture of Complaint. The Fraying of America (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1993) ; Lawrence Lader, Power on the Left (New York : W.W. Norton and Company, 1979) ; Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things (London : Flamingo, 1997).

3) Economic culture: Bernard W. Wishy, Good-bye Machiavelli. Government and American Life (Baton Rouge, La. : Louisiana State University Press, 1995) ; Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club (New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001) ; Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone (New York : Simon and Schuster, 2000) ; Joseph Dorfman, The Economic Mind in American Civilization (New York : The Viking Press, 1946).

4) Legal culture: Richard A. Posner, Law and Economics, 2nd ed (Boston : Little, Brown, and Company, 1977); Richard Posner, Law and Literature. A Misunderstood Relation (Cambridge, Ma. : Harvard University Press, 1988) ; Antoine Garapon, Juger en Amérique et en France (Paris : Odile Jacob, 2003) ; Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World. Sustainable Diversity in Law (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2000).

The students have at their disposal a book serving both as a syllabus and as a compilation of texts. As mentioned above, prior reading of the texts is highly recommended in order to enhance the students' understanding of the topics covered during the sessions and the sharing of reflections during class discussions. The students are requested to have an English-language dictionary of their choice. The lecturer will reply to students' questions by appointment or electronically at the following address: francois.vandermensbrugghe@usaintlouis.be