Background to Modern Britain

Course focus

This half-course unit is designed to develop the English language and academic literacy skills of visiting international students interested in history and the social sciences. Background to Modern Britain for the Social Sciences 1 focuses on key social, political and economic developments in Britain during the twentieth century.

Aims

The course aims to support international students unaccustomed to studying at university level in English-speaking settings by:

• exploring aspects of twentieth century Britain in order to develop understanding and knowledge of a new cultural setting, and particularly of areas relevant to HSS year 1 units
• providing guidance and feedback on the effective use of English in academic settings
• enabling efficient understanding and evaluating of relevant and reliable information

• encouraging student self-evaluation of their own linguistic performances in English through the use of feedback mechanisms  

Teaching and learning methods

Each week, students will need to complete tasks involving research, drafting writing, revising aspects of written English (available via Moodle), and preparing topics for mini-presentations. A one hour weekly lecture will  introduce the topic using a combination of visual and audio materials, and hand-outs. The main student activity in this session will be listening, making notes, and planning further study.

The follow-up seminar will last for two hours to enable students to become accustomed to active participation in learning, and to practise oral and written skills in a way which makes an effective feedback loop practicable. The seminar will focus on individual practice of the week’s highlighted language skills in the context of the topic for the week. Thus, the seminar will be used to encourage students to engage with a related issue in order to practice discussion skills such as developing and justifying arguments. 

Students will be encouraged to evaluate their own progress in participating in discussions. In addition, the seminar will aim to improve the planning and writing of academic essays using a mixture of written English awareness development in the main input session, short practical tasks in the seminar and longer tasks in self-study time.

Group feedback will be provided each week as a result of the seminar activities, in either written or spoken form. A 1500-word essay submitted mid-term will also generate written formative feedback.

Course outline

 

Weeks	Theme
1	The Century in Brief: Overview of the Twentieth Century from a British Perspective
2,3,4	The End of Empire: Moves to Independence (1) and (2); the Commonwealth
5	An Overview of the British Economy 1945-2001
6	Reading Week
7, 8	Thatcherism/The UK economy today
9, 10	Is the UK a Sovereign State? + assessed presentations
11	Final written assessment

 

 

Bibliography

The major set text is Murphy, D., & Walsh-Atkins, P., 2008, Britain 1945–2007: Collins Educational

(This will be lent to students for the duration of the course)

Another important source for current and accurate information will be  National Statistics UK. Students will be encouraged to access relevant sections via the web-site, which is updated regularly: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html|

Other sources include

Johnson, P. (ed.),1994, 20th Century Britain Economic. Social and Cultural Change : Longman

Lloyd, T.O., 2002,  Empire, Welfare State, Europe: History of the United Kingdom 1906 – 2001: OUP

Oakland, J., 2011, British Civilization: An Introduction, Routledge: London

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/| 
http://www.mori.com/polls
|http://www.guardian.co.uk/monarchy|  

Assessment

All the assessment for these courses is done during the term in which they are taught.There are three elements of assessment:

Elements of Assessement	Weighting
A 1500 word piece of written work submitted after reading week	20%
A 10-15 minute individual oral assessment done in class	20%
A 2 hour written task, conducted in the final week	60%

 
Students are required to attempt all three elements of assessment and achieve an overall mark of no less than 40%.  

Course focus

This half-course unit is designed to develop the English language and academic literacy skills of visiting international students interested in history and the social sciences. Background to Modern Britain for the Social Sciences 2 focuses on key social, political and economic developments in Britain during the twentieth century.

Aims

The course aims to support international students unaccustomed to studying at university level in English-speaking settings by:

• exploring aspects of twentieth century Britain in order to develop understanding and knowledge of a new cultural setting, and particularly of areas relevant to HSS year 1 units
• providing guidance and feedback on the effective use of English in academic settings
• enabling efficient understanding and evaluating of relevant and reliable information
• encouraging student self-evaluation of their own linguistic performances in English through the use of feedback mechanisms

Teaching and learning methods

Each week, students will need to complete tasks involving research, drafting writing, revising aspects of written English (available via Moodle), and preparing topics for mini-presentations. A one hour weekly lecture will  introduce the topic using a combination of visual and audio materials, and hand-outs. The main student activity in this session will be listening, making notes, and planning further study.

The follow-up seminar will last for two hours to enable students to become accustomed to active participation in learning, and to practise oral and written skills in a way which makes an effective feedback loop practicable. The seminar will focus on individual practice of the week’s highlighted language skills in the context of the topic for the week. Thus, the seminar will be used to encourage students to engage with a related issue in order to practice discussion skills such as developing and justifying arguments. 

Students will be encouraged to evaluate their own progress in participating in discussions. In addition, the seminar will aim to improve the planning and writing of academic essays using a mixture of written English awareness development in the main input session, short practical tasks in the seminar and longer tasks in self-study time.

Group feedback will be provided each week as a result of the seminar activities, in either written or spoken form. A 1500-word essay submittedmid-term will also generate written formative feedback.

Course outline

 

Weeks	Theme
1-3	Who are the British? Identity, social and demographic issues
4	The Welfare State
5	Education
6	Reading Week
7	The NHS
8	Kinship and associations
9	Leisure and Pleasure
10	Deviance and Crime
11	Final written assessment

 

 

Bibliography

The major set text is Oakland, J., 2011, British Civilization: An Introduction, Routledge: London

(This will be lent to students for the duration of the course)

Another important source for current and accurate information will be  National Statistics UK .Students will be encouraged to access relevant sections via the web-site, which is updated regularly: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html

Other sources include:

Abercrombie, N., & Warde, A., 2000, Contemporary British Society, Polity: Cornwall

Childs, P & Storry, M (eds)., 2002, British Cultural Identities, New York: Routledge

Lloyd, T.O.,2002, Empire, Welfare State, Europe: History of the United Kingdom 1906 - 2001, OUP

Paxman, J, 1998, The English: A Portrait of a People, London: Penguin.Assessment

All the assessment for these courses is done during the term in which they are taught.There are three elements of assessment:

Elements of Assessment	Weighting
A 1500 word piece of written work submitted after reading week	20%
A 10-15 minute individual oral assessment done in class	20%
A 2 hour written task, conducted in the final week.	60%

Students are required to attempt all three elements of assessment and achieve an overall mark of no less than 40%.

Course focus

This half-course unit is designed to develop the English language and academic literacy skills of visiting international students interested in the arts. It focuses on aspects of British social and cultural life since 1945 through the study of a range of texts taken from film and literature.

Aims

International students unfamiliar with study in a British university are offered opportunities to :

• engage in a range of  academic tasks in order to develop the language and literacy skills appropriate for study in arts and humanities subjects at first year undergraduate level.
• explore aspects of modern Britain revealed in selected plays, films, fiction and commentaries in order to develop an understanding of  a new cultural setting
• acquire and practise study strategies that will enable effective independent learning

Teaching and learning methods

This course follows a theme-based approach, with two broad themes covered during the term.  Each theme is introduced following a variety of methods which include formal  lectures, the use of audio and visual materials and brainstorming. Students are expected to critically engage  with diverse sources which include primary texts such as extracts from novels,  short stories, poems and films, and secondary texts which provide a wider context within which the primary texts are situated. 

Students are expected to make a significant contribution in class and thus contribute to their own, as well as their fellow students’ learning.  Self-directed, and directed work done outside of class time, forms a central element of this course, and students should expect to do at least 10 hours of independent work per week.

Systematic feedback is seen to be an essential aspect of the course, with both written and verbal feedback being given on work done in and out of class time. Feedback involving other students is also used where possible, and appropriate.

Course outline

Weeks	Theme
1 - 4	A sense of place: an exploration of the British home and suburbia through poetry and short stories
5	Masters and servants: an examination of changing attitudes to social class in British cinema
6	Reading Week
7 - 9	Masters and servants, continued
10	Study skills and assessments
11	Assessments

 

Bibliography

There is no set textbook. The course is based on a collection of recommended readings that will be available to students at cost from Royal Holloway International. Readings will be taken from selected literary and dramatic works as well commentaries and social history. 

Assessment

All the assessment for these courses is done during the term in which they are taught.There are three elements of assessment:

Elements of Assessment	Weighting
A 1500 word piece of written work submitted after reading week	20%
A 10-15 minute individual presentation done in class	20%
A 2 hour written task, conducted in the final week.	60%

 

Students are required to attempt all three elements of assessment and achieve an overall mark of no less than 40%.

Course focus

This half-course unit is designed to develop the English language and academic literacy skills of visiting international students interested in the arts and humanities. It focuses on aspects of British social and cultural life since 1945 through the study of a range of texts taken from film and literature.

Aims

International students unfamiliar with study in a British university are offered opportunities to :

• engage in a range of academic tasks in order to develop the language and literacy skills appropriate for study in arts and humanities subjects at first year undergraduate level.
• explore aspects of modern Britain revealed in selected plays, films, fiction and commentaries in order to develop an understanding of a new cultural setting
• acquire and practise study strategies that will enable effective independent learning

Teaching and learning methods

This course follows a theme-based approach, with two broad themes covered during the term. Each theme is introduced following a variety of methods which include formal lectures, the use of audio and visual materials and brainstorming. Students are expected to critically engage with diverse sources which include primary texts such as extracts from novels, short stories, poems and films, and secondary texts which provide a wider context within which the primary texts are situated.

Students are expected to make a significant contribution in class and thus contribute to their own, as well as their fellow students' learning. Self-directed, and directed work done outside of class time, forms a central element of this course, and students should expect to do at least 10 hours of independent work per week.

Systematic feedback is seen to be an essential aspect of the course, with both written and verbal feedback being given on work done in and out of class time. Feedback involving other students is also used where possible, and appropriate.

Course outline

Weeks	Theme
1 - 4	Women in modern Britain: Personal and political issues in the Thatcher and Blair years seen through feminist and post-feminist perspectives
5	Multicultural Britain:immigration and ethnic minorities
6	Reading Week
7 - 9	Multicultural Britain: immigration and ethnic minorities (cont’d) Multi-ethnic identities Multicultural/Postcolonial British literature
10	Study skills and assessments
11	Assessments

 

Bibliography

Students will be required to purchase Top Girls:Methuen Student Edition which is available at the College Bookshop on campus. Other material is taken from recommended readings that will be available to students at cost from Royal Holloway International. Readings will be taken from selected literary and dramatic works as well commentaries and social history.

Assessment

All the assessment for these courses is done during the term in which they are taught.There are three elements of assessment:

Elements of Assessment	Weighting
A 1500 word piece of written work submitted after reading week	20%
A 10-15 minute individual presentation done in class	20%
A 2 hour written task, conducted in the final week.	60%

 

Students are required to attempt all three elements of assessment and achieve an overall mark of no less than 40%.