Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
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POLS1220 - Introduction to the Culture of the English Speaking World



Credits : 4

Lecturer :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.

Timetable :
First term
Thursday from 10:45 to 12:45 at 109 Marais 100

Language of instruction :
The course, supports and examination are in English.

Learning outcomes :
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).

Prerequisites :
None

Co-requisites :
For the Bachelor in Law :
  or DROI1140A - .


Course contents :
The 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 EU; 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 plight of African-Americans defines American culture, 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?
3. The economic culture of the English-speaking world: time will be spent on the reality of the opposition between the State-driven economic approach in Europe and a market-driven economic approach in the USA;


Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The course is primarily based on lectures with possible discussions on texts, which students should have read and analysed in advance. Discussions should further students' understanding of the theoretical topics covered during the lectures. They will also serve to develop students' ability to take part in discussions in order to attain a certain level of fluency. In addition to the course outline, a PowerPoint presentation accompanies the lectures.


Assessment methods and criteria :
The evaluation is carried out by means of a written exam. The exam criteria include an 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.


Recommended or required reading :
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).


Other information :
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 students' understanding of the topics covered in class. The lecturer will answer students' questions by appointment or electronically at the following address: francois.vandermensbrugghe@usaintlouis.be