VS-Culture - Gender - Media: The British Empire in Film and Fiction
Lukas Lammers
Comments
In this seminar we will study a range of recent films and fiction that represent different phases and aspects of the British Empire. The first few sessions are intended to provide an introduction to three key contexts: empire, memory and media. We will then turn to six fictional representations (three novels and three films) as well as some shorter texts. The materials that we will be discussing span a considerable temporal, geographical, and thematic range. Temporally, they will take us from the heyday of Empire to its decline and beyond; geographically, there will be spotlights on Australia, Botswana, Britain, the Caribbean, India, and Singapore.
TEXTS
Novels: Matthew Kneale, English Passengers (2000), Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace (2000), Jane Gardam, Old Filth (2004).
Shorter texts will be made available on Blackboard.
Films: A United Kingdom (2016, dir. Amma Asante), Victoria and Abdul (2017, dir. Stephen Frears), Small Island (2009, BBC Television, dir. John Alexander)
ASSESSMENT
Assessment will be based on short writing assignments, very short presentations in class (‘aktive Teilnahme’), and a final essay of 4.000 words to be submitted after the end of class. Exchange students with a background in English and/or Cultural Studies are welcome; your proficiency in English should be at least B2.
16 Class schedule
Regular appointments