1.1 THE COURSE

This class will introduce the main structure and themes of the course, and all assessment requirements.

1.2 BRITAIN

This class will offer an overview of the history of Britain, and the key ingredients of British national identity.

1.3 THE MAKING OF A NATION

Nations are commonly understood today as ‘imagined’ or ‘invented’ communities. This class will follow the key steps in the construction of what we know today as the commonly accepted British national identity, from Shakespeare to the First World War. It will also provide us with all the key theoretical tools to be utilised in the rest of the term.

1.4 THE FEAR OF NATIONAL DECLINE

The First World War marked both the peak of British global power and the start of its end. The fear of national decline has been a recurring theme since then, that reveals a lot about British self-perceptions of national identity, seem from the back door of national insecurity. It is this theme that this seminar will explore, partly in preparation for the forthcoming field trip.

2.1 DISCUSSION: BRITISH NEWS

In this class we will take a step back and look at the current British news headlines. We will take this as an opportunity to talk about the connection between history and current affairs, to analyse the media and public sphere landscape in Britain, and to see what are the issues that preoccupy the British public today. This class will be partly in preparation of the field trip study that will follow later on in the day and it might have to be cut in time if we need to set off early.

2.2 BRITAIN, EUROPE AND THE WORLD

Identities are often constructed when we see ourselves within a wider context and we start identifying differences and similarities. For Britain this context is the world and more particularly Europe. There are few things that offer people in Britain such a clear sense of their common identity as a look across the Channel. This seminar will be on the complex history of British attitudes to the outside world, and the heavy load of stereotypes that goes with it.

2.3 GROUP PRESENTATIONS: SYMBOLS OF BRITISHNESS

This first round of presentations will focus on analysing all those images that Britain is commonly associated with.

2.4 THE POLITICAL HEART OF THE NATION

Britain is often described as the oldest democracy of the modern world and Westminster is acknowledged as its centre. But is this really the case? How could we qualify such grand statements? Partly in order to contextualise the course’s walking tour of central London, this seminar will explore the long-debated question of how much democratic Britain really is, and whether the ultimate power centre of the country is indeed the palace of Westminster.

3.1 LONDON BURNING: THE 2010-2011 RIOTS

In November-December 2010 the students of London fighting against a hike in tuition fees brought the capital to an explosive halt, even chasing Prince Charles’ motorcade in Christmas-decorated Regent Street. In August 2011 rioting, following the killing of an unarmed black man by police, burning and looting started in Tottenham quickly spreading through the city. In October 2011 Occupy London set camp between St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Stock Exchange in the heart of London’s City. London has become one of the centres of the global revolt movement.

3.2 CLASS DIVIDES

Although class divisions that go well beyond the level of one’s income have been one of the key signifiers of Britain in modern history, setting apart this country from other western societies, in recent years politicians and commentators have repeatedly proclaimed that there is no more such a thing as a working class in the UK. Last August’s riots showed however that class tensions are still very much alive. This seminar will explore the new class divides in Britain, trying especially to make sense of the new ‘underclasses’.

3.3 RACE RELATIONS IN LONDON’S STREETS

Britain has moved rather swiftly from being an old-fashioned colonial power to priding itself as a bastion of multiculturalism. This change took place at the back of a rising number of immigrants arriving from the ex colonies first to London and then to all other major British cities, at the end of the Second World War, changing forever Britain’s urban landscape. The London bomb attacks of 7/7 2005 and the riots of 2011 showed, however, that British multiculturalism still faces a number of challenges.

3.4 THE FOOD CAPITAL OF THE WORLD?

National food is not something that Britons have been historically proud of, especially when they compare their cuisine to that of neighbouring France. However eating is one of the most common experiences that bring a people together and the effort to produce an attractive image of British national food has been long underway. Today food-talk is a vehicle to affirm the positive side of multiculturalism in Britain and even the nation’s continuing global appeal!

4.1 SCREENING: COME DINE WITH ME

Come Dine With Meis a very popular TV programme that was first aired in the UK and now is a global phenomenon. Its concept evolves around the idea of bringing 4 strangers together who then host and cook for each other, commenting on their food and lives. It is a brilliant window to the British social and cultural life of today

4.2 SECRET AGENTS: BOND AND SMILEY

"Great Britain has lost an Empire, and has yet to find a role" declared Dean Achenson in the early 1960s. The Cold War signified Britain’s relegation to a second-class power. This was when the genre of spy-literature came to the fore. James Bond was its most famous hero and became a key symbol of Britishness for all the next decades. This class will analyse the development of his character, juxtaposing him to a less known, less heroic, but much more artistically acclaimed spy: John Le Carre’s George Smiley.

Who would had ever thought until the 1950s that Britain would become a global leader in culture. But then pop-culture came to the fore and Britain became its European epicentre. Why was that? This seminar will focus on the Beatles as a pop-phenomenon, and how they reflect the changing British identities of their time.

5.1 LEADERS: CHURCHILL

Churchill has been repeatedly acclaimed as the Greatest Briton. Although he was an active politician for more than half a century, it is his connection with the Second World War more than anything else that has earned him this fame. This class will analyse the way the myth of Churchill is intertwined with the myth of the Second World War as a People’s War.

5.2 SCREENING: COMEDY

British Comedy is one of the greatest national exports. It is also a window to popular culture perceptions of all the key themes in British national identity, which it takes and then subverts. This class will look at a number of comedy shows, as a way of reviewing some of the course’s main themes.

5.3 GROUP PRESENTATIONS: WHAT HEROES TELL US?

This second round of presentations focuses on analysing the use of heroes in the construction of national identities.

5.4 FINAL DISCUSSION

In this class we will round up on the main themes that the course has touched on. Students should come prepared to talk about their own impressions from the stay in Britain and how they can be related to the wider context of British national identities. We will also talk about the forthcoming exams, how they will be constructed and what the expectations will be. The rest of the week should be used as time for exam preparation.