EKIP5020 Historical Contexts of the Anglosphere (5 op)

The course gives an introduction to cultures, discourses and texts of the Anglosphere from a historical perspective. We start by studying the present discourses and ideologies on the unifying role of key values in the English-speaking world. We travel back in time and investigate historical events through extracts from political documents, literary works and popular culture texts in order to gain a critical understanding of how culture is constructed as an interplay of texts, practices and discourses through which our conceptions of past and present are formed.

After completing the course, students will be able to

• see culture as a dynamic and complex construct,
• understand the development and impact of British colonialism,
• identify the historical origin of discourses on the Anglosphere cultures and examine their development critically,
• see how political documents, literary works and popular culture can be used as analytical tools to understand history and social development.

A list of readings will be provided at the beginning of the course.