Category B
Optional Courses
(These are three-credit, four-week seminar courses.)
**Each Category B course is the equivalent of a 200-level class
British Detective Fiction
Sally Bayley
This course will include a representative sampling of texts from the classical age of British detective fiction to present-day offerings. Students will conduct trans-historical comparisons of novels and be encouraged to make connections between the texts and events and attitudes in the world at large. Authors whose works will be read include: Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, A. A. Milne, Michael Innes, Julian Symons, P. D. James, Anne Perry, A. S. Byatt, Iain Pears, and Ian Rankin. A selection of recommended secondary texts and commentaries will also be provided.
British Perspectives on the American Revolution
Andrew Beaumont
The American War for Independence is often viewed as a war against tyranny. Certainly at the time many Americans viewed Britain as a nation governed by a tyrannical king advised by evil counselors. This course examines the validity of that view by looking at British government policy, the opposition's response, and public reaction to the colonies' struggle for independence. This course will examine the relationships among the Crown, Parliament, and the public sphere, as well as the historical debate over the importance of public opinion in the 1770s. Students will examine and discuss pamphlets, prints, newspapers, and parliamentary debates of the day. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze how documents have been interpreted by historians, thus putting the subject into an historical context. Students should be able to gain a fresh perspective on the debates concerning the Anglo-American relationship at the time.
British Politics: 1979-Present
Richard Coggins
British politics from 1980 to the present provide an eclectic collection of issues. The phenomenon of Margaret Thatcher and "Thatcherism" overshadows the period because it represents the breaking of the post World War II consensus and the attempt, partially successful, to impose another paradigm. There is also the thread connecting Thatcherism to New Labour—the latter could not have existed without the former, and Labour's Tony Blair is, at least partially, the heir to the Tories' Margaret Thatcher. Mrs. Thatcher's career also raises interesting questions about the role of women in British politics and society, in some ways changing rapidly, in other ways strangely static. Another interesting theme of this era includes the cultural, as well as political, crisis of the left, the evolution of a multi-cultural society and its impact on politics, the decline of manufacturing and industrial unionism, the accelerated decline of deference, and the impact of changes in social attitudes and ways of organizing family life. There is the rise of the environmental movement and, of course, the persistent issue of Northern Ireland.
Oxford, The City as a Work of Art
Helena Chance
This course will examine the University of Oxford’s role as patron of British art, architecture, and design from the thirteenth century to the present day. Using the wealth of resources available in Oxford – university and college buildings, museums, galleries, and private collections, students will be introduced through lectures and guided tours to key themes in the history of art, architecture, and design – medieval and gothic, renaissance, classical and modern. Within these broader themes, a variety of topics will be covered, including the role of architecture in shaping the University’s identity, the art and craft of stained glass and sculpture and the University’s collections of paintings including those by Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites. Teaching will be through lectures and discussions, as students will be required to participate actively in analyses of the artifacts studied. Students will be encouraged to choose their own subjects for written work from the topics studied, under the direction of the tutor. No previous experience with art and architectural studies is expected or required but the course will also suit those with prior knowledge, as they will be introduced to new perspectives.
Writing Workshop II: Prose Fiction
Clare Morgan
This course will focus on writing prose fiction, particularly shorter pieces like short stories or chapters in larger fictional works; it may also include some scriptwriting for television, radio or theatre. Working with the guidance of a published author, students may be asked to propose specific topics, plots or media formats they plan to write about and may be asked to submit a writing sample before the course begins.
