British and American Societies and Cultures
Master's Programme in English Studies: Professional Applications & Intercultural Communication
Academic staff
José Francisco Fernández Sánchez
Course code
70481104
Type
Compulsory – Foundation course (Module 1)
Approach to education
Blended-learning (25%)
Term
First
Classroom
Humanities Building II, classroom 12
Teaching period
15 – 30 November 2023
Teaching times
Wednesdays 16.00 – 18.15
Thursdays 16.00 – 18.15
Fridays 16.00 – 18.15
Teaching guide
British and American Societies and Cultures
Description
This course offers a thorough overview of the culture and society of Great Britain and the US. These two countries have marked the course of international events in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Their social and cultural importance in today's world is beyond doubt –and although the Master's Degree students may have some general knowledge of cultural and political aspects of these countries–, this course is designed to provide detailed knowledge of current aspects that may have not been subject of analysis in undergraduate studies: politics, education, the mass media, religion, recent history, etc. A course of these characteristics will consolidate previous knowledge and will greatly expand the cultural background of Master's Degree students in relation to fundamental aspects of life in these two countries.
The course is divided into four thematic blocks:
Block I – Great Britain and the US at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century
‣ Contemporary Britain: From Margaret Thatcher to Boris Johnson
‣ Historical Margins: From the Reagan Era to Donald Trump
Block II – Multicultural Societies
‣ British Multiculturalism: Race and Ethnicity
‣ The American Melting Pot: How the American Society Has Developed since mid nineteenth century
Block III – National Peculiarities: Emerging nationalities in Britain and the Role of Religion in the US
‣ Identities and Nationalities: Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
‣ The Puritan Heritage in the US: The Unfathomable Burden of Religion in Modern America
Block IV – Worldwide Perceptions of Great Britain and the US
‣ The Mass Media in Great Britan
‣ The American Educational System—Between Ellitism and Excellence
British and American Societies and Cultures
