HENA01155U Engelsk - OBS NY KURSUSLITTERATUR: Valgfag 3:The British Empire through British Eyes: 1880 – 2000

Kursusbeskrivelsen dækker både Valgfag 3, emne og Valgfag 3, sprogfærdighed, idet begge er integreret i et undervisningsforløb. Den studerende vælger ét blandt de udbudte kurser inden for de tre geografisk bestemte områder amerikanske studier, postkoloniale studier, britisk litteratur, historie og samfundsforhold eller sprogvidenskab

The British Empire through British Eyes: 1880 – 2000


This course introduces students to Britain's imperial experience in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from the vantage point of Britain itself. Recent years have seen an escalating debate about the extent of imperial influence in British culture, politics and society. Some have maintained that the effects of ruling the largest empire in world history permeated British life in almost every respect, from art to entertainment, leisure, social attitudes, consumption habits, education, youth culture, migratory patterns and much else besides. Others have insisted that the image of a Britain historically "steeped in empire" is a gross exaggeration, and that the vast majority of the population remained indifferent to (indeed entirely ignorant of) the colonial world beyond Britain's shores. The course will consider the arguments and the evidence for both sides of this proposition, ranging from the "high imperialism" of the late nineteenth century to the protracted decline of British imperial rule after the Second World War. It will also consider some of the (allegedly) enduring legacies of empire in contemporary Britain, which in some respects mirrors the historical argument over the domestic impact of the imperial past. The classes will draw substantially upon student oral presentations and open classroom dialogue and debate, in order to prepare students for the oral assessment at the end of the course. Additionally, a number of leading protagonists in the debate from the UK will be invited to address the students during the course of the semester.