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2015/2016 BA-BBLCO2010U British and American Studies 1
| English Title | |
| British and American Studies 1 |
Course information |
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| Language | English |
| Course ECTS | 7.5 ECTS |
| Type | Mandatory |
| Level | Bachelor |
| Duration | One Semester |
| Start time of the course | Autumn |
| Timetable | Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk |
| Study board |
Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture,
BSc
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| Course coordinator | |
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| Last updated on 11-08-2015 | |
| Learning objectives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To achieve the grade 12, students
should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor
mistakes or errors: 1) Content
• describe, analyze and discuss basic political, economic and social affairs – systems, structures and mindsets - in the United States and the U. K. against the backdrop of the literature reviewed and the particular foci developed throughout the course. • account for current issues of importance to these countries – political, economic, social, and cultural – • relate these issues to the theories and conceptual frameworks presented and discussed in the course. 2) Language The learning objectives for the language component of BAS 1 conforms to the requirements laid down in the Common European Framework for Languages (the Language Portfolio) at a minimum level C1. This means that, at the end of the course, students should be able • To present and discuss the above affairs and issues in a coherent, well-structured English. • To employ grammatically correct language, including a specialist vocabulary consistent with the material being discussed. • To express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much searching for expressions • To present clear and detailed accounts of complex subjects, develop points and arguments. • Pronounce the language in a manner that does not impede understanding. At the written level, students are expected • To produce concise, coherent and well-structured academic texts. • To write texts which conform to generally accepted principles of academic composition, including consciousness of style and genre specific requirements. • To observe a high degree of correctness of grammar and syntax in the written texts. • To employ a vocabulary derived from and in accordance with the topics written about. • To develop arguments on the basis of coherent sentences and paragraphs. |
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| Examination | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The exam in the subject consists of two parts:
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| Course content and structure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The course will give the students a chance to work with different types of texts relating to both the US and the UK within the fields of the state, civil society and the market. This implies looking at a number of issues that are of current interest in the two countries. With respect to the UK, special emphasis will be given to the post war period’s Keynesian welfare state model’s transformation into a neoliberal model, and the ongoing discussions of how to modernize Britain’s systems of governance. This includes a critical look at the results and consequences of the financial and economic crisis in 2007/08 and its effects on discussions of ‘varieties of capitalism’. Another major theme is the ongoing discussion of multiculturalism in the UK. Finally, emphasis is placed on discussions of the nation state and British national identities, national culture and values, regionalism and subsidiarity vis-à-vis the European Union. With respect to the US, the country’s size and federal construction provides the possibility of looking at how various cultures and subcultures encounter each other and interact. This will be looked at in relationship to the political system and its different components: federal and local government, interest groups, and the media. The course will also examine and analyze changes in American foreign policy at the end of the Cold War as well as reactions to September 11, and the ways in which the United States is both driven by, and drives the globalizing process. Language competence As an integrated part of the course, there will be a focus on enhancing students’ oral and writing skills. This will be based on systematic work with English language and composition as well as introductory studies relating to the concept of framing and the field of discourse analysis. As part of this process, students will be required to make one or more presentations in class, participate in class discussions and to submit three essays.
Integration
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| Teaching methods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A combination of lectures and class sessions will be employed. Throughout the course, students will be required to make oral presentations in English; their performances will be commented on and judged along the way. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Expected literature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Mc. Cormick (2012) Contemporary Britain, Palgrave.
Russell Duncan and Joseph Goddard (2009) Contemporary America, Palgrave.
Edward Ashbee, Kasper Grotle Rasmussen, Ole Helmersen, Paul Richmond (2010): Compendium: British and American Studies 1, |
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