Regional Studies I (Group A + C) - Great Britain & Ireland: Disentagling Complicated Relationships (1916-Present)

Course content

Modern Britain and Ireland, one a so-called “United Kingdom” and the other really two coun-tries divided by a common island, are ancient cultures and societies steeped in myth and mys-tery; they are also the European bastions of a hyper-modernity whose cultural exports contin-ue to define the contemporary world. Few cultures have been as globally influential.

But what makes the quirk British peoples tick? What gives the Irish their “craic”? How are we to understand the at-times conflict-riven relationship betwixt the peoples that populate the two islands that make up the archipelago of Great Britain and Ireland? Why is the Anglo-Irish world view so influential – and, in the period after Brexit, just what exactly are we to make of these two extraordinarily contradictory yet surprisingly complimentary cultures, their relation-ship to each other, towards Europe, and the wider world?

This course seeks to equip students with the critical skills and cultural knowledge needed to speak with insight about the complex histories and cultural trajectories of the nations that comprise contemporary Great Britain and Ireland. Through a thematic approach focused upon each nation, students will explore cultural, social, and political dynamics that have infused each in order to gain a deeper appreciation of the whole. Given the focus upon their cultural production, we shall endeavor to engage critically with examples from film, literature, and music as we explore the issues of class, race, sex, empire, and the problems of historical memory that continue to afflict and shape the (sometimes changing) sense of identity and belonging exhibited and experienced by the British and Irish people alike.

Due to the nature of the content with which we shall work, this is a demanding course with high expectations in terms of preparation and active student engagement.