Programme Outline: British Culture and Society 1800-2000
This new four-week summer course is offered by the Department of Linguistics and English Language, in collaboration with the Departments of History and of English and Creative Writing. It is intended to introduce students from a range of majors to some current topics in the study of history, literature, and language. At the same time, it is intended to introduce students to practices of teaching and learning at a British university that might be unfamiliar to you, such as seminars and essay exams. It focuses on ideas of place, because that topic has been particularly resonant for all these disciplines, leading us to see works of literature, historic events, and everyday language use in a new light. These topics should complement other courses that may be taken during the academic year, without overlapping or duplicating them. The focus on place also enables us to explore specific places in Lancaster and the region around it, through weekly field trips, and relate these places to the course topics.
Teaching
Each student will have three large-group lectures each week, and three small-group discussions in seminars, held in the mornings over four days of the week. In addition, there will be weekly opportunities to meet the tutors to discuss the work. The lecture/seminar pattern is typical for a British university course, but there are more contact hours on this course than would be typical, and the scheduling is much more intensive. For further detail, see the weekly outline and suggested readings (some details may be modified each year).
Learning
The afternoons four days a week are devoted largely to study, that is, reading the prepared materials, doing further research in the library and through other sources, and preparing coursework. Some of these activities are done with groups (as is typical of British university courses). Students should expect to devote at least 32 hours to this work, leaving them time to consider a number of short readings and poems in detail, and also complete at least two longer readings, such as novels or monographs.
Field trips
The weekly trips are in important part of the course, closely linked to the topics for the week, and are compulsory. They also introduce students to some of the range of historically significant places within 90 minutes of Lancaster, places to which they may want to return later in their time in the UK.
Assessment
The aim of the course is to give some experience in some of the forms of assessment that students are likely to encounter in British university courses: short essays, group projects, oral presentations, and exams. Because of the intensive nature of the course, these pieces of assessment are short. One longer essay is submitted at the end of the course, and returned later with comments.
Contact
If you have questions about the course, feel free to contact Dr. Johnny Unger, Programme Director j.unger@lancaster.ac.uk