Level 5 Courses 2010-11 How to use this listing The Courses This booklet contains brief descriptions of the courses available in the School of Humanities & Social Sciences at level five (Year 2) for 2010-2011 and suggests some introductory reading. Full-time students normally take 120 credits (usually four 30-credit courses), and part-time students 60 credits (two courses) each academic year. Some courses are offered as choices to students on any degree programme, but others are available only to students taking particular programmes. In some, priority is given to students on particular programmes. You must pass 120 credits at level two to proceed to level six, but your level five programme does not irrevocably commit you to particular courses in future years. Your choices You will be automatically registered for the core courses for your programme. As you complete the online registration process, you will select the remaining option courses you wish to study. The appropriate list of courses you can choose from will appear online. The course outlines in this booklet will help you to decide which options you wish to take. The opportunity to take options outside your main programme of study is university policy, and is particularly valued in the interdisciplinary School of Humanities and Social Sciences. You are recommended to look at options which broaden your area of study. You can, for example, take a European Language (even if you have not studied it before). All courses have a maximum size, and places in the most popular courses may have to be allocated by a draw. Contents Advanced Poetry Writing American Fictions Applied Drama Applied Linguistics Applied Professional PR Practice British Literature 1600-1789 Children of Law Colonial Encounters and the Marking of the Modern World, C. 1700-1914 Criminal Law Criminological and Forensic Psychology Criminological Research Methods Criminology Cultures of Consumption 5 Culture, Theory & Context: Fiction and Visual Narrative Culture, Theory & Context: Poetry and Drama Culture and Society in 20th Century Britain DATASCAPES: Imaging for the Web Development and Social Psychology Dream Factory: The Motion Picture Industry and American Society in the 20th Century Drug and Drug Use 5 Early Modern England: Economy, Culture and Society Education and Social Formation English for Academic Purposes 6 & 7 English Literature and Art 1600-1789: National Identity and the Ideal of Classicism Environment, Politics and the Mass Media Family and Community History Global Cinema, National Identities Global Politics and Postcolonial Worlds How Words Work Introduction to Print Journalism, Desktop Publishing and Multimedia Journalism 2 Knowledge and Its Limits Language and Society Making History: Ideas and Practice Meaning of Life Media Theory and Representations Methodology and Practice of Language Teaching Migration, Mobility and Exile Mind and Madness Modern Stages Modern Languages: French, German, Italian and Spanish Modern Political Thought Penology Physical Theatre and the Body Playwriting Politics of European Integration Political Protest and the State in Britain Political Systems – American and Russian Politics Postcolonial Literatures Professional Media Practice 2 Researching Society and Culture Short Story Writing Sociological Debates Theatre Studies Theory and the Novel Video Production Writing for the Screen Writing the Digital Self p1 p1 p1 p1 p1 p1 p2 p2 p2 p2 p2 p2 p3 p3 p3 p3 p4 p4 p4 p4 p4 p4 p5 p5 p5 p5 p5 p6 p6 p6 p6 p6 p7 p7 p7 p7 p8 p8 p8 p8 p9 p9 p9 p9 p9 p10 p10 p10 p10 p11 p11 p11 p11 p11 p11 p11 p12 p12 Advanced Poetry Writing Course Code: COML 1048 Cherry Smyth Credits: 30 This course is for those students who have a particular interest in, and enthusiasm for, the writing of poetry. Throughout the year students will work in and experiment with a variety of forms and will be encouraged to develop their own poetic style and ‘voice.’ The course is taught through seminars, workshops and individual tutorials and students will be expected to submit portfolios of work at the end of both semesters. Pre-requisite: ‘Writing Poetry’ at Level 1, though exceptions may be made. Please see Cherry Smyth. American Fictions Course Code: ENGL1093 Justine Baillie Credits: 30 This course provides an introduction to significant texts in American fiction from the nineteenth century to the present day. Issues relating to gender, race, ethnicity, the American journey, politics and American identity are investigated in texts that range from examples of Southern American writing to postmodern and post 9/11 fictions. The course aims to introduce students to ‘marginal’ texts as well as canonical works and encourages a broad interdisciplinary approach to questions of culture, representation and interpretation. Texts to read in the Summer: Indicative Primary Texts: Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (1966) Kate Chopin, The Awakening (1899) Douglas Coupland, Generation X (1991) Don DeLillo, Falling Man (2007) Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952) Louise Erdrich, Tracks (1988) Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1926) Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (1850) Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) Jack Kerouac, On The Road (1957) Cormac McCarthy, The Road (2006) Carson McCullers, The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951) Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987) Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (1963) J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951) Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) Applied Drama Course Code: DRAM1128 Heather Lilley 30 credits In term 1 students will study the development of Applied Drama as a wide ranging set of practices and classes will focus specifically on exploring methodologies. Students will engage with a number of pedagogical approaches to using drama for social change, such as the methods of Augusto Boal and Paulo Frier. They will also consider the ethical and practical issues that must be addressed when working in the community and will develop their own models of good practice. Alongside this they will identify the key creative skills required of the Applied Drama practitioner and will practice planning and leading workshops. In term 2 students will build on their knowledge and practical experience through the study of Applied Drama in specific contexts, such as Youth Theatre, the education sector, work with the elderly, verbatim and documentary theatre and intercultural performance work. Students will be asked to research specific companies and to engage with local practitioners to deepen their knowledge of the field and to create a short performance for a specific target audience. Applied Linguistics Course code: LING1009 Cecile Laval Credits: 30 This course is intended to help students to become familiar with some key areas in Applied Linguistics. The course is structured in three main themes: 1) a description of language and language use; 2) areas of enquiry in Applied Linguistics; 3) four skills and assessment. After an initial orientation of the key issues of the field, this course will provide students with a substantial overview of the key concepts, issues, insights and pedagogical implications of the three main themes. The main aims of the course are: a) to help students to become familiar with key issues in Applied Linguistics; b) to help students to become familiar with some of the research methodology used in the field; c) to explore the interface between second language acquisition theory and second language pedagogy; d) to develop an integrative and holistic view of language. Applied Professional PR Practice Course code: MEDS 1074 Credits: 30 Core course for BA (Hons) Journalism and Public Relations. British Literature 1600-1789 Course code: ENGL1092 Credits: 30 This course provides students with a grounding in British Literature in the period preceding the French Revolution. Students will learn to identify and analyse the creative relationships between literature, art, and architecture in the wider historical context of the Early Modern, Enlightenment and Early Romantic periods. The Old Royal Naval College site will be used to establish a ‘narrative’ for the course as a whole and students will also be encouraged to reflect on the way this formative period of British history and culture is presented to a 21st century public in tourist centres such as the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum. Students will be made aware of the specific significance of the adoption of the Classical model as an ideal of aesthetic, social, and political excellence in the course of this period, and of the way this ‘Augustanism’ was developed and modified through the period. A wide range of poetry, prose and drama will be studied, and connections will be made between these texts and the visual art of the period. The course will make full use of London’s galleries and museums. Criminological and Forensic Psychology Children and the Law The is a core course for second-year students registered on the BSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology. The course reviews a broad range of theory and research dealing with psychological perspectives on crime and legal practices. Examples of topics covered include: juvenile offenders; violent crime; victims of crime; forensic methods; offender profiling; identity parades; the polygraph; eyewitness testimony; “recovered” and “false” memories; confessions; jury decision-making; prison life and outcomes. Students will need to produce two essays and sit an examination in the summer. Key Texts: J. McGuire, Understanding Psychology and Crime (2004); D. Howitt, Introduction to Forensic and Criminal Psychology (2006); A. Kapardis, Psychology and Law: A Critical Introduction (2004 Course Code: LAW 1156 Lucy Yeatman Course Code: PSYH1024 30 credits This course is aimed primarily at criminology and criminal justice studies students, but no prior study of law is required so students from any discipline may choose this option. This course is an introduction to the various ways in which the law impacts on children’s lives. We cover areas such as children in the criminal justice system, education law, the age at which children can make their own decisions regarding medical treatment, child abuse and the roles and responsibilities of parents. Throughout the course we look at not only the letter of the law, but also the political, sociological and economic framework within which the law operates. Criminal Law Course Code: LAW 0783 Edward Phillips Credits: 30 Criminological Research Methods Course Code: SOCI1010 Stacy Banwell and Michael Fiddler This is one of the ‘core’ subjects in Law and is compulsory for all students on qualifying Law degrees as well as the Criminal Justice Studies degree. The course covers the general principles of criminal liability and a selection of the main offences and defences in English Criminal Law. These include the crimes of murder and manslaughter, assault, sexual offences, theft and criminal damage. Students must have studied the English Legal System at Level 1 as a prerequisite. Credits: 30 This course provides students with a broad grounding in criminological research methods. Students will cover both quantitative and qualitative approaches as applied to the study of crime and criminal justice. The course will critically examine the source of much of these statistics and data on offenders and offences and the measures, patterns, and trends drawn. The emphasis throughout will be on practical research skills within a contemporary criminological context drawing links with epistemology, ethics and comparative approaches. The specific topics covered include primary and secondary research methods; survey, interview, and questionnaire design; observation and analysis; writing up research; safety in research; use of documentary, internet and comparative sources. Colonial Encounters and the Marking of the Modern World, C. 1700-1914 Course Code: HIST1023 Dev Moodley, Gavin Rand Credits: 30 30 credits ‘Colonial Encounters and the Making of the Modern World, c. 1700-1914’ is a Level 5 History course, which is also available to students on other Humanities and Social Sciences programmes. The course offers a global perspective on the role of empire in the making of the modern world, paying attention to the key role played by Britain in the emergence of today’s globalised world but also exploring the problems and dangers associated with Anglo- and Eurocentric histories of globalisation. By examining the important roles played by international competitors and indigenous peoples, the course examines the dynamic relationships brought about by trade, migration and empire. Emphasising the dynamic and contested nature of ‘colonial encounters’, we will consider the importance of resistance and collaboration and explore the impacts of empire on both colonisers and colonised. ‘Colonial Encounters’ provides a critical historical analysis of the origins and emergence of today’s globalised world. Indicative Readings: King, R. and Wincup, E. (2002) Doing Research on Criminal Justice Criminology Course code: SOCI1011 Stacy Banwell and Michael Fiddler Credits: 30 Criminology offers students the opportunity of acquiring a systematic and critical understanding of the nature of crime and the criminal justice system. The course will provide students with the ability to evaluate and assess different criminological perspectives; make students aware of the institutional, social and political context of Criminology; enable students to interpret criminological evidence and encourage students to make reasoned arguments. The content of the course includes: Criminological Perspectives; Theories of Criminal Behaviour; Theories of Punishment; Crime Prevention; Victims of Crime; Policing; Psychological Profiling; Probation; Restorative Justice; Imprisonment. 2 Culture, Theory & Context: Poetry and Drama In Semester 2, students will look at specific areas within Criminology. These include: Young People and Crime; Gender and Crime; Race, Ethnicity and Crime; White Collar Crime; Drug, Alcohol and Crime; Mental Disorder and Crime; Crimes of Violence; Homicide; Sex Offenders. Key Texts include: Maguire, M. Morgan, R. Reiner, R. (2002) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology Oxford University Press. Williams, K. (2003) Textbook on Criminology Oxford University Press. Course code: COML1054 Harry Derbyshire This course provides an overview of the development of poetry and drama from 1800 to the present, taking in some of the most influential practitioners and significant texts. The aim is to explore how cultural attitudes, theoretical advances and historical/political contexts inform and shed light upon poetic and dramatic texts. The course also draws upon literary, cultural and media theory in order to develop critical method and provide a variety of frameworks for understanding texts in society. Cultures of Consumption 5 Course Code: SOCI1069 Doug Stuart Credits: 30 The course explores how consumption shapes contemporary culture. It examines how consumer choice shapes people’s identity at both a personal and group level. It uses historical and comparative approaches to explore how consumption has transformed our experience of freedom, choice, and rights. It questions how consumption shapes and is shaped by gender, sex, class, ethnic and religious discourses. The course studies both the theoretical approaches to understanding these concepts and explores evidence based examples through case studies. These will include studies of consumption in relation to broad areas such as food, sexuality, fashion, music and religion. This course is closely allied to Culture, Theory and Context: Fiction and Visual Narratives (see above); for those students taking both courses, a strong element of historical period will be echoed across the two courses throughout the teaching year. In addition, specific skills relating to the analysis of poetry and of live performance will be developed. The first term will begin with a look at the Romantic poets, move through the shift from melodrama to naturalism in the theatre and conclude with a look at prominent Victorian poets and dramatists. The second term begins with manifestations of modernism in both poetic and dramatic form before looking at significant poets and playwrights of the last 60 years. A lecture on her own work by our resident poet, Cherry Smyth, will be a feature and a poetry reading and at least one theatre trip are essential components of the course. Culture, Theory & Context: Fiction and Visual Narratives Course code: COML1053 Jenny Bavidge Credits: 30 Credits: 30 This course traces the development of the novel and the film from 1800 to the present. As well as enabling students to learn about literary and visual texts as artworks in their own right, the broadly chronological structure of this course draws attention to their status as mutually enriching creations in cultural history. The course also draws upon literary, cultural and media theory in order to develop critical method and provide a variety of frameworks for understanding texts in society. Culture and Society in 20th Century Britain Course Code: HIST1012 June Balshaw Credits: 30 This course is designed to appeal to students from a range of disciplines and explores the ways in which Britain has been shaped during a century of enormous change. The main themes will focus on issues concerning identity such as class, gender, nation and race. The primary emphasis will be on social and cultural history and students will have the opportunity to engage with a range of sources including film, fiction, and autobiography as well as more conventional historical documents. There are a number of visits to places of interest such as Eltham Palace and the National Archives. There will also be a field trip to a European city (past trips have included Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin and Prague) giving students the opportunity to explore how another city/ country has been shaped by the events of the twentieth century. This course is especially suitable for students studying History, Media, English, Politics, Humanities and International Studies. Pairing fictions and visual narratives creates an opportunity for students to study form and its history through a relatively new areas of disciplinary study, adaptation, and in addition Culture, Theory and Context: Fictions and Visual Narratives covers the independent history of prose and film narrative and the overlapping cultural context of the period 1800 to present. This course is closely allied to Culture, Theory and Context: Poetry and Drama (see below); for students taking both courses, a strong element of historical period will be echoed across the two courses throughout the teaching year. Texts studied in the first term include Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. 3 DATASCAPES: Imaging Course code: COMP1600 David Waterworth / Noel Campbell for the Web Drugs and Drug Use in Society 5 Credits: 30 Course Code: SOCI1071 Craig Morris The Digital Image is changing the approach to photography as the Internet is changing our attachment to place. The course will introduce you to a range of concepts and themes to develop, not only critical understanding of the development of the Digital Imagery but also to relate it to the Internet as an important new digital environment. The course seeks to develop practical skills helping the student to visualize, design, and communicate ideas using the new digital tools for image manipulation and web design. It investigates the interplay between the technologies, techniques and the representations of social and cultural life. The course moves from a study of the lens based photography to digital imagery to the Internet. It will explore avant-garde photographers, experimental filmmakers and video artists to find their influence on the digital imagemakers of today. It will investigate the principles and concepts informing the development of the Internet, the design of Internet sites, the development of Cyberspace, the use of Internet places for commerce, for the creation of communities and the attempts to control. Within the near future, those members of society who have not used an illicit drug, at least once, will be a minority. However, many of those who do not use illegal drugs use legal ones, but would they see their substance of choice as ‘drugs’? The objective of this course is to provide a clearer understanding of the meaning of drugs in society. Particular questions (among others) that will be addressed are: how should we understand drug effects; what is addiction/dependence and how is it caused; will the war on drugs succeed; should heroin and/or other drugs be legalised. We shall also explore the link between drugs and crime and violence, and whether we should be teaching children how to use drugs properly to reduce potential longterm harm, and how serious is the drug problem? The course also examines the histories of alcohol and tobacco use in the UK and contemporary issues related to these as well as the misuse of solvents and the problems associated with some medically prescribed substances. Early Modern England: Economy, Culture and Society Development and Social Psychology Course code: PSYC 0043 Course Code: HIST1024 Sandra Dunster Credits: 30 Core course for BA (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Psychology. credits 30 What was life like in England between 1500 and 1750? What shaped the lives of communities and the individuals within them? This course offers you the opportunity to explore the development of English society in Early Modern England. You will begin by looking at the changing economic landscape of England during this period looking at agricultural change and the rise of cottage industry, social structure, population growth, social mobility and migration. This will form the back drop to the social and cultural themes that you will then explore in more depth, such as family and household, gender, community, crime and the impact of the Protestant Reformation. As we work through the topics, at each stage you will have the opportunity to consider the various explanations for change offered by historians. You will also work with primary source materials from the period and to explore the ways in which these have been used by historians to further our understanding of Early Modern England. This course provides an excellent grounding for those wishing to progress to the level six course ‘Witchcraft in the early modern world’. Dream Factory: The Motion Picture Industry and American Society in the Twentieth Century Course Code: CINE1008 Andrew Dawson Credits: 30 Credits: 30 Hollywood studios produced celluloid dreams using advanced industrial and marketing methods. Between 1920 and 1950, the film industry dominated American and, to a large extent, world popular entertainment. This course will set the history of this important industry within the broader framework of twentieth-century American history. The course traces the development of the American film industry from its origins in the late nineteenth century to approximately 1980. The course enables students to understand the evolving nature of the American motion picture industry and the processes of cultural production through an examination of the industry’s business and commercial practices, its relationship to the state, and its location within the broader pattern of twentieth-century American politics and society. The course is suitable for students with an interest in film studies, literature, media, history and politics. Education and Social Formation 5 Course Code: SOCI1070 Credits: 30 This course aims to enable students to comprehend their own experience of contemporary formal education in the context of changing divisions of knowledge and labour in society. It relates teaching and research by addressing the contention that formal education has expanded in recent years primarily as a means of social control. Does this meet with students’ 4 Environment, Politics and the Mass Media experiences and can it be shown in sociological studies of schools, colleges and universities, training schemes and learning at work etc.? To answer this question, classical sociological accounts of education will be considered along with more recent case studies of educational institutions. Course code: MEDS1036 Peter Jones Political debates about environmental issues such as climate change, nuclear power and animal experimentation are often highly charged, and are widely reported in the mass media. The course examines media representations of these debates, with reference to the competing arguments (which may be scientific, political and/or ethical in nature); the campaign groups, elected politicians, business organisations and others who seek publicity for their views and actions via the media; and the textual characteristics of media reporting. A programme of lectures, seminars and other interactive class activities is followed by an individual research project. In addition to its topical subject content, this course is designed to assist you in developing skills of textual analysis, media writing and research. English for Academic Purposes 6 & 7 Course Code: Level 6: ENGL1080; Level 7: ENGL1081 Simon Dye Credits: 30 These are courses for students whose first language is not English. Each course covers a range of aspects of English language relevant to academic study, including reading, listening, writing and presentation skills, grammar, vocabulary and note-taking. The in-class activities and coursework are designed to encourage you to further develop your skills in English and increase your knowledge of the language, using a wide range of materials including textbooks, newspaper articles, audio-visual material and Computer Assisted Language Learning. Level 6 is approximately equivalent to Cambridge Advanced and Level 7 to Cambridge Proficiency. If you are unsure about which would be the most appropriate level for you, please contact Simon Dye by e-mail at s.r.dye@gre.ac.uk for advice. Family and Community History Course code: HIST1018 June Balshaw Credits: 30 This course is designed to appeal to students from a range of disciplines and explores the theory and practice of family/community history from a number of perspectives. It starts by asking why is there an increasing desire to trace our roots and how important is knowing about our past in determining our sense of self? There is a strong practical component to this course and students will use the internet as a research tool as well as visiting the National Archives at Kew and the Family Records Centre in London. The emphasis is very much on developing research skills and students will undertake a project as part of their assessment which can look at personal histories or how groups and communities have lived and been represented. You may even decide to research the history of a building. Students will also have the opportunity to visit the war graves of France and Belgium. This course is suitable for any student with an interest in constructing an original narrative based around family and/or community histories. It is also anticipated that students undertaking this course may well identify a suitable dissertation topic which they can pursue at level three. English Literature and Art 1600-1789: National Identity and the Ideal of Classicism Course code: ENGL1092 John Williams Credits: 30 Credits: 30 This course provides students with a grounding in British Literature and Art for this period. The Old Royal Naval College site will be used to establish a ‘narrative’ for the course as a whole. A sound knowledge of the site and its historical and cultural associations, and also of the National Maritime Museum, will be a feature of the syllabus. Students will be made aware of the specific significance of the adoption of the Classical model as an ideal of aesthetic, social, and political excellence in the course of this period, and of the way this `Augustanism` was developed and modified through the period. Students will learn to identify and analyse the creative relationships between literature, art, and architecture, in the wider historical context of the Early Modern, Enlightenment and Early Romantic periods. Students will also be encouraged to reflect on the way this formative period of British history and culture is presented to a 21st century public in the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum as tourist centres. Key texts for the Early Modern period are in R. Demaria (ed), British Literature 16401789 (2001). We study a wide range of poetry, prose and visual art, including Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Drama is represented by Anthony and Cleopatra and its ‘Augustan’ recreation as Dryden’s All for Love, and Congreve’s The Way of the World. The course will make full use of the London galleries and museums, specifically the British Museum ‘Enlightenment’ exhibition. French (see Modern Languages) German (see Modern Languages) Global Cinema, National Identities Course code: CINE1007 Alev Adil Credits: 30 On this course students will explore some of the major developments in world cinema outside Hollywood. The course provides a broad overview of the development of British and European cinemas in terms of genre, the work of key directors and key themes. Students will also be introduced to a wide range of Japanese, Latin American, Iranian and other world cinemas, including Bollywood. Third 5 Introduction to Print Journalism, Desktop Publishing and Multimedia Cinema, as a concept and as a phenomenon, will be explored. Films will be studied both in terms of their aesthetic and artistic interest and in relation to their social, cultural, political and economic significance. We will also consider how local, global and national identities are constructed, reinforced and reshaped through the medium of cinema. Through the study and close analysis of films in a wide range of genres the course aims to explore three key areas in depth: the concept of national cinema; the representation of identity (national, gender, sexual, class, ethnicity) in relation to conceptualisations of national identity; and the concept of national heritage, global address and the representation of history/ national myth. Course code: JOUR1002 Kathy Watson/ This course will begin to equip students with specialist skills necessary for a career in print journalism and provides the opportunity for students who already have basic IT skills to move into DTP and Multimedia production. Journalism: Students will be expected to have understood the difference between a variety of writing styles and understood the differing requirements, both in subject matter and form, that the diverse range of publications, audiences and markets offer them. They will also have learnt how to generate ideas and identify a market for them, improved the standard of their writing and practised sub-editing skills. Global Politics and Postcolonial Worlds 5 Course Code: SOCI1065 Nandini Dasgupta Credits: 30 Desktop Publishing and Multimedia: By the end of the course students will be able to: scan images and text; combine and lay out images and text in various formats; capture and manipulate sound and video; use authoring software to do their own presentations with interactive controls. New technologies, increased travel and migration, and growing use of the internet and global telecommunications have created a global world. In areas such as politics, the economy, the environment, culture, communication and the law globalisation has transformed our everyday lives. This course examines invasions and migrations of peoples and cultures back and forth between Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific region and how these have shaped and reshaped culture and identity. Italian (see Modern Languages) Journalism 2 Course code: JOUR 1009 How Words Work Course code: PHIL1046 Mick Bowles Credits: 30 Credits: 30 Core course for BA (Hons) Journalism and Public Relations. Credits: 30 Knowledge and Its Limits If we ask the questions how do words work, we quickly become embroiled in philosophical questions. For example, how can we understand books that talk about unicorns – we have never met a unicorn but, seemingly, this presents us with no problems when it comes to grasping the meaning of the term? This course concerns itself with the question of meaning: what is it for a concept to make sense. In locating this topic as of principal importance the course reflects the sea change that took place in philosophy in the 20th century. Philosophers ceased to concern themselves with te question what is knowledge and instead turned their attention to what is meaning. The course will offer students the opportunity to study some of the principal writings on this topic found in 20th century British-American philosophy. Some of the topics we will explore on the course are as follows. Do we need experience to ground meaning? Do systems of language always presuppose a logical structure? Are words arbitrary or are there some aspects of words that cannot be altered? We will look at the logic of identity statements (for example, the Morning Star is the Evening Star); and at statements that seemingly don’t refer to anything (for example, ‘the present King of France is bald’). And we will also pursue the questions, do unicorns really exist? Course code: PHIL0006 Mick Bowles and Kath Jones Credits: 30 This course seeks to introduce you to a number of classic texts of European philosophy. In particular it is concerned to give you a good understanding of the great philosophers who have created the modern philosophical landscape. All of these philosophers are concerned to explore the philosophical questions: What is knowledge? How is it that human beings can engage with the world such that they gain an understanding of how it works and predict what will happen? The principal issue that we shall be concerned with is how far the acquisition of knowledge is based on experience and how far it is a result of reasoning. In the first term you will study the world of the two empiricist philosophers, Berkeley and Hume, who argue that knowledge rests entirely on experience: Everything that is in our heads (all our thoughts) are, ultimately, traceable back to the experiences that we have had. In order to rigorously defend this position both philosophers attempt to give an account of what exactly the word ‘experience’ points to and then seek to show that an empirical definition of knowledge limits the scope of what humans can and do know. In the second and third terms you will study the two rationalist philosophers, Spinoza and Leibniz, who argue that humans are only able to gain an understanding of their world because the mind has 6 The Meaning of Life processing capacities that go beyond anything that could have been acquired from experience. These processes are a priori to experience. Such rationalise philosophers claim that ultimately the capacity to know rests not on experience but the activity of the mind. The debate between these two schools of thought – rationalism and empiricism – has shaped the modern landscape of thought. Course Code: PHIL1066 Kath Jones In this course we look at the philosophical writings of those thinkers who have tried to consider what one’s general attitude to life should be. Humans often ask themselves the question whether life is worth living or not and are at times tempted by the negative answer that it is not: that there is no purpose or point to life. The course will examine a series of key texts that try and break beyond this pessimistic answer and discover the force and power of life in the depths of pessimism. These texts are concerned with subjectivity (rather than the scientific approach which, it is claimed, strips life of all its intensity and meaning) and the dimensions of lived experience. How far can we describe this aspect of human existence; how important is it for trying to respond to the question of whether life is worth living? How far is Kierkegaard’s claim correct that subjectivity is what gives life value? We will begin by looking at the writings of Camus and Lucretius. Both attempt to discover the way to live in the face of the certainty of death and emptiness of moral goals. Each tries to find the path between the pessimism of fatalism and the empty optimism offered by human idols. The course then considers Kierkegaard’s attempt to respond to these problems by using and exploring the hypothesis of radical subjectivity. We then move onto the great debate in 19th century European Philosophy between Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Schopenhauer offers a philosophy of pessimism – humans are driven by a desire that they cannot understand and can never satisfy – but Nietzsche tries to get beyond Schopenhauer’s darkness by discovering the force and energy of life. He attempts this move in his later work by exploring the themes of will to power and eternal recurrence; in his earlier works he concentrates on the question of tragedy (for Nietzsche it is by no means the case that famous Greek tragic dramas are instructing us to take a pessimistic view of life). The course concludes by considering some of the analyses and arguments offered by the twentieth century philosophical movements of existentialism and feminism. How far do these approaches continue Nietzsche’s struggle against pessimism? Language and Society Course code: LING 1021 Credits: 30 This course examines the critical role that language plays in everyday human communication in a variety of contexts. The course provides students with the opportunity to explore and reflect on the essential role that language plays both in communication and human social organization. It will focus on the different factors that have an impact on how language is interpreted, such as situational context or cultural background. Knowledge of all these parameters can be of great value to a wide range of students; not only to those from cultural studies or sociology, who would be complementing their understanding of these areas by studying how social organization interferes with the use of language, but also all those involved in any discipline in which language is a crucial tool with which social groups may be targeted for a wide variety of purposes (e.g. marketing, politics, media, and journalism). The course is divided into two parts; in the first part, basic notions of language and communication (pragmatics) will be introduced, to explore how language works in human relations in specific contexts of use. In the second part we examine the complex interplay between language and social and cultural factors. Key concepts in sociolinguistics, such as the interaction of language with social class, ethnicity, gender and ideology will be studied. Making History: Ideas and Practice Course Code: HIST1025 Sandra Dunster & Dev Moodley Credits: 30 Credits 30 This course will address the question ‘What is History?’ and will then go on to explore what being a historian involves. You will look at historiography – the various ways that historians have studied the past - and also examine the current strands in historical enquiry such as social, cultural and political history. You will then have the opportunity to experience a range of subject specific skills, working with a range of primary source materials from various historical periods exploring how these can be used in the study of history. The final part of the course will prepare you for level 6 by asking you to apply the skills and knowledge you have gained to identify a suitable subject for a dissertation or a suitable project to be completed within a work placement. The course will be team-taught with all history staff offering sessions on their particular areas of expertise. Media Theory and Representations Course code: MEDS1038 Steve Kennedy Credits: 30 Examines a number of theoretical positions, including the Frankfurt School, Marshall McLuhan, the Glasgow University Media group, the Birmingham group, Raymond Williams, Pierre Bourdieu, communication theory and the postmodern debate. Goes on to examine processes of mediation and representation in the media, with particular case-studies of news and the fictional representation of historical topics and of other cultures. 7 Methodology and Practice of Language Teaching Course code: TETA1010 Simon Dye Mind and Madness Course code: PHIL1054 Credits: 30 Kath Jones (This course will not run in 2010-11) Credits: 30 This course offers you the opportunity to consider and discuss the questions: what is the human mind and how does it work? The question has a new poignancy for us today because of the proliferation of information that neuroscience is giving us about the brain. Indeed many intellectuals are already calling the twenty-first century the age of the brain. Is it the case that brain science can provide us with a complete account of human thinking and consciousness? To consider this we will need to take account of some of the principal features of human experience: emotions, creativity and the extreme states of consciousness that our forebears called madness and we now tend to refer to under the umbrella term of schizophrenia. The course, with the help of some of the most influential thinkers in philosophy and psychology, will confront the question of whether these features of human experience can or cannot be handled by scientific analysis. The issues and debates raised have enormous implications for how we think about mental health and artistic creation; and, because of the growing influence of neuroscience, the course will be of great interest for those interested in law, criminology and morality. In the first part of the course we will look at the ways in which neuroscience attempts to explain or mental abilities (perception, memory, understanding, emotion and decision) and the puzzle of consciousness. In the second half we will look at the differing ways in which philosophers and psychologists have discussed the topic of madness (when the mind and/or perceptual processes do not work in designated ‘normal’ ways). Examples of topics covered are as follows: Philosophical objections to neuroscience; Foucault and Derrida’s debate concerning the nature of madness; Freud, Sass and Szasz’s account of the nature of mental illness; Deleuze and Guattari’s practice of schizoanalysis. This course examines current practice and developments in Language Teaching, especially English Language Teaching. This includes defining communicative competence in language teaching and learning; identifying teaching techniques; setting objectives; evaluating course design and mode of delivery; using different forms of testing and assessment, and reflecting on language learners and the learning process. This course is designed to build on the introductory ideas and methods introduced at Level 1 (Introduction to ELT) and look in more depth at the process of language learning and how to create the best conditions to promote and encourage the acquisition of language in the classroom. When students have learnt essential techniques and methodologies in lesson planning, they will have the opportunity to observe classes, to teach classes, and finally to reflect on their experience. The course book for Methodology & Practice of Language Teaching is: 'The Practice of English Language Teaching' by Jeremy Harmer. Migration, Mobility and Exile Course code: POLI1022 Peter Skrandies Credits: 30 Political and economic migrations are not just a contemporary phenomenon. The world has largely been shaped by movement of people (with varying degrees of compulsion and choice). This has contributed to the variety and mixture of cultures noticeable in many places. In the 20th century, mass migrations throughout the world seem to have gained momentum through severe political upheavals. These have brought about flows of exiles seeking safety and economic betterment. In Europe, the loss of many men during World War II, reconstruction and the ‘long boom’ also created a demand for workers who travelled from Europe’s periphery and colonies to fill low-paid jobs and provide missing skills. Core for single hons drama Modern Stages Course Code: DRAM1129 Pippa Guard 30 credits This course aims to continue to develop the students understanding of the chronology of drama and theatre in a direct continuance of the Early Stages course at level 1 by exploring one of the most exciting periods of writing in English drama, when the stage regained its place as a forum for public political debate. This was the age of the well made play and social realism, which required specific theatre skills and practices. Through the study of texts, contexts, theories, production and performance skills associated with modern theatre, students will enhance their knowledge of theatre history as well as gaining key skills. The course deals with political and economic migrations affecting the world in the 20th century and particularly after World War II. It focuses on the root causes of migration, the attitude of the receiving countries, and the official structures put in place for immigrants. The first half deals specifically with migrations within and to Europe in the 20th century. The second part looks at examples of migrations and movements affecting other parts of the world. It uses these to indicate wider international processes, and the significance of the movement of people in ‘globalisation’. These issues will be addressed in the light of the multi-ethnic composition of our students, some of whom are refugees and the descendants of migrants. 8 Modern Languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish Course Codes: various Each course is available as an elective Penology Course code: SOCI1026 Rebecca Harrison Credits: 30 The aim of this course is to offer students an insight into the administrative structure and functioning of prisons. This will include the staffing, management and accountability of those who run prisons. An analysis of the prison population, the daily routine of prison life, staff/prisoner relations, and prison conditions. Moving on to a more socio-legal context, the course will consider prison from the perspective of women, ethnic minorities, young offenders, older prisoners, those with mental health problems and sex offenders. Issue such as drugs, general health care, suicide, self harm and violence will be studied, as will problems of reintegration back into society. Why study a modern language at Greenwich? to learn to speak and write competently in the language you choose. to gain knowledge of the culture and customs of the country or countries where the language is spoken. to be able to compete more effectively in the European job market, where free movement of people and labour, and therefore languages, is the norm. Class contact is complemented by work in the Language Centre which will allow you to use recent innovations in IT in language learning.The language classes are organised into six courses, ranging from absolute beginners to advanced. The content of the course includes: Prison History; Prison Statistics; Punishment and the Role of Prison; Prison Management; Privatisation and Privately Managed Prisons; The Woolf Report; Health Care in Prisons; Suicide in Prisons; Self Harm in Prison; Drug Misuse in Prisons; Violence in Prisons; Race Relations in Prison; Women’s Imprisonment; Young Offender; Older Offenders; Mental Health Offenders; Sex Offenders; After Crime and Punishment. Key Texts include: Jewkes, Y. (2007) Handbook on Prisons. Willan; Crighton, D.A. (2008) Psychology in Prisons. Blackwell. Liebling, A. (2010) The Prison Officer .Willan. Easton, S. (2010) Prisoners’ Rights. Willan. Course 2: Communicative competence in a small range of situations, familiarity with more complex grammar. Typically the student with GCSE or AS Level. Course 3: Communicative competence in a wider range of situations and knowledge of advanced grammar. Typically the student with A Level. Course 4: Student at post- A-Level plus limited experience of living and working in the country. A student who has completed course 3. Course 5: Completion of German, French, Spanish or Italian course Physical Theatre and the Body Course Code: DRAM1131 Jillian Wallis If you have any queries, please contact the relevant language co-ordinator: French: Cécile Laval (x9049) German: Peter Skrandies (x9054) Italian: Alessandro Benati (x9048) Spanish: Silvia Stanton (x9012) 30 credits This course aims to introduce students to physical theatre, integrating theory and practice. The module is designed for students to experience critical study of the expressive body in performance. It aims to give students an understanding and knowledge of the development of physical theatre from the avante garde theories of Meyerhold and Artaud to the present day, and to engage with current debates surrounding the nature and definition of physical theatre. Students will explore different forms and methodologies, thus developing their ability to identify certain traits and styles within performance and to trace these elements and approaches to a particular philosophical context. The course builds on conceptual and critical elements of Ideas in Practice at Level 4 and will help prepare students for individual research and practical performance at Level 6. Modern Political Thought Course code: POLI0002 Anne Cormack Credits: 30 Credits: 30 This course will include a full examination of the history and development of political thought from the emergence of modernity up through and including the 20th century. Students will examine the work of thinkers such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Paine, Burke, Hegel, the English Utilitarians (Bentham and JS Mill), Marx, Gramsci, Rawls, Malcolm X, Foucault and Haraway. Three major threads will situate our readings of those primary thinkers: (i) what is the Enlightenment and the epistemologies of modern political theory; (ii) what are trends of social movements (feminist, black, sexualities, working class, civil rights); and finally (iii) what is democracy, and in particular, the liberal and social democracy of an industrialised modern state. Playwriting Course Code: COML1049 Nina Rapi Credits: 30 This course gives students a firm grounding in playwriting skills and builds on skills learned in Writing for the Stage at Level 1. It explores dramatic conflict and narrative drive; 9 characterisation and dialogue, status and subtext; scene construction; structure and style; voice, tone and mood. The course consists of teacher presentations, tutorials, analysis of texts and practical writing workshops. Students are encouraged to give and receive constructive feedback. Students are expected to submit a portfolio of dramatic writing at the end of each term, as well as critical reviews, a critical essay and evidence of redrafting. parliamentary parties such as the UK Independence Party and the Referendum Party will also be examined. We will also explore the activities and influence of pressure groups in British political life such as the fuel protestors, the Countryside Alliance, the Stop the War Coalition and the trades unions. We will also examine the response of the authorities to these protests, including the role of the police, intelligence and security services and the response of the ‘mainstream’ political parties. The role of the media and public opinion in shaping debates will also be explored. The courses ask the critical question, what does protest, and the response to it, tell us about the health of our democracy in the early 21st century? Politics of European Integration Course Code: POLI1027 Mary Farrell Credits: 30 After the Second World War, the European political leaders wanted to create a system that would unite the continent in a permanent peace, where citizens would respect each other and cooperate to resolve common problems. More than half a century later, the project of European unity has achieved remarkable successes that its founders could hardly have envisaged in the aftermath of the devastation and destruction evident in 1945. Over the years, the European states have created a unique political community, built upon an institutional framework and continual bargaining among the member states, based upon a sometimes uneasy balance between inter-governmental and supranational decisionmaking. Today, the European Union (EU) is a political entity with a population of some 500 million people, with its own currency, a legal system that over-rules national laws, and a complex and multi-layered governance system. This course looks at the origins of the EU, its evolution up to the present, and the future challenges in the face of a growing membership, and its capacity to meet expectations and demands of European citizens and other states around the world. The course will look at how the EU works; what is driving the European integration project; why is European integration widening and deepening; what are the limits to European integration (the implications of Turkey’s accession); why does Europe (EU) not have a foreign policy; how does the EU manage relations with the rest of the world, including the US, China, India, Africa, and the Middle East? Key texts include: Michelle Cini, ed. European Union Politics (2010, OUP); Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni, Debates on European Integration. A Reader. Neil Nugent, Government and Politics of the European Union (2009); H. And W. Wallace and M. Pollack, Policy-Making in the European Union (2009, OUP). Political Systems – American and Russian Politics Course code: POLI1015 Paul Wingrove This course will acquaint you with the major features of the American and Russian political systems. In the case of the USA we cover the Constitution, presidency, Congress, the political role of Supreme Court, parties, elections, the media, interest groups and foreign and domestic policy-making. In the case of Russia, the course is somewhat more historical. We begin with an examination of why the USSR collapsed, focusing on the pivotal role of Mikhail Gorbachev; we then examine the nature of Russian politics and the political system as it has developed in the era of Yeltsin and Putin. Taken together, these courses should tell you everything you need to know about contemporary American and Russian politics. Postcolonial Literatures Course Code: ENGL1093 Justine Baillie Credits: 30 The course examines the ways in which the postcolonial text has developed in response to the end of colonialism. Students will extend their understanding of colonialisms, neocolonialisms and de-colonisations through an analysis of their representation in selected prose, poetry, drama and film. The course aims to enable students to analyse representations of colonialism and decolonisation, postcolonial societies and diasporic peoples in relation to ‘metropolitan centres’ and ‘peripheries’; issues of cultural identity; the role of the artist in postcolonial societies; the response to, and subversion of, western literary forms; gender and postcolonialism; the articulation of postracial and transnational identities; relations between postmodern and postcolonial forms. Political Protest and the State in Britain Course code: POLI1018 John McLean Credits: 30 Credits: 30 This course introduces students to the main debates surrounding the question of political protest. The major focus will be on developments in Britain, but students will be able to investigate protest movements in other countries. To explore the question of protest we will analyse the activities of some of the “non-parliamentary” parties in Britain. On the far right this means the BNP and National Front; on the far left the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Party, Scottish Socialist Party. Other non- Primary Reading: Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (1958) Margaret Atwood, Surfacing (1972) J.M Coetzee, In the Heart of the Country(1977) Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (1988) Anita Desai, Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988) Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip (2006) Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day (1989) 10 Hanif Kureishi, The Black Album (1995) Toni Morrison, Paradise (1997) Barack Obama, Dreams From My Father (1995) Joseph O’Neill, Netherland (2008) Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children (1981) thinkers whose works are explored in this course include, Foucault, Freud, Levi-Strauss and Bauman. Theatre Studies Course code: DRAM1038 Harry Derbyshire This course is designed to allow in-depth exploration of interesting aspects of theatre history, theory and practice. Students will consider theatrical texts both on the page and in performance, and relate their understanding of those texts to the wider ideas that they embody and express. The course will consist of four case studies, each taught over five - seven weeks, in each of which students will be led through an exploration of a particular area of theatre history or theory. The tutors and case studies for 2010-11 have yet to be confirmed, but in 2009-10 they were: ‘Myth into Tragedy’ taught by Susan Rowland; ‘Postcolonial Theatre’ taught by Justine Baillie; ‘Physical Theatres’ taught by Heather Lilley; and ‘Women’s Theatre’ taught by Harry Derbyshire. The first novel we will study will be Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. Most texts will be studied in the order they were first published. A course booklet containing further reading will be provided in the first or second week of the course. Professional Media Practice 2 Course code: JOUR 1010 Credits: 30 Core course for BA (Hons) Journalism and Public Relations. Researching Society and Culture Course Code: SOCI1020 Doug Stuart / Craig Morris Credits: 30 The course is a classroom rather than a practical course; it is aimed primarily at English students but Drama students are welcome, as are those from other disciplines. This core course aims to develop understandings around key issues related to doing sociological research. In doing so it engages with key issues around fundamental issues underlying how we understand the world and research ‘the social’, different research methods and various issues relating to their use. The course also begins to prepare students for their third year project too, with one piece of assessed work being the completion of a research proposal. Theory and the Novel Course code: COML0002 Susan Rowland Credits: 30 This course is designed to build on those skills acquired in Introduction to Prose Writing, with particular emphasis on prose production. Students will concentrate on the reading and writing of the short story. You will be expected to analyse this genre with reference to particular examples, which will inform your practice of writing in workshops. You will produce a portfolio of short story writing at the end of each term. Students will also be expected to submit a re-drafting journal at the end of the first term and undertake a research project in the second term to encourage wider reading and critical analysis. Pre-requisite: Students taking this course should have completed Introduction to Prose Writing, though exceptions may be made if students have evidence of independently produced prose fiction. Please see Michael Langan. Video Production Course code: CINE1004 Mairead McClean Credits: 30 This course is delivered in a variety of modes including lectures, workshops and independent study. The course introduces you to digital technology and the basic skills relevant to video and film production. You will cover all stages of video production from concept to proposal, storyboard, production (filming and editing) and distribution. Assessment includes written and practical work, undertaken individually and in groups. Sociological Debates Course Code: SOCI0055 Linnell Secomb Credits: 30 Using a selection of key novels, the course will explore modern literary theories such as feminism, Marxism, poststructuralism, post colonialism, psychoanalysis and ecocriticism, and the novel as an art form itself. Novels studied will range from children’s literature, such as works by J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman, through authors such as Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, important texts such as Dracula, and modern writers such as Margaret Atwood and Ruth Rendell. An important source of reference will be Literary Theory: An Anthology, (second edition) edited by Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. The course is designed for students studying English, though students from other disciplines might consider taking Theory and the Novel if they are also studying one other English course. Short Story Writing Course Code: COML1051 Michael Langan Credits: 30 Credits: 30 This core course aims to engage with a number of key social theorists and important works. The course is based around a number of themes, such as the human body and social life, the person, power authority and knowledge, human instincts and social life and understanding the Holocaust. Key social 11 Writing the Digital Self Course Code: COML1066 Caroline Smith Credits: 30 Writing the Digital Self is a practice-based course which develops notions around Writing the Self. Students explore notions of the ‘self’ in a digital environment, engaging with approaches and methods of diverse writing styles. New electronic writing environments promise to bring more media including our bodies- into the creative process. This enables rich mixes of media outputs and new possibilities of content generation and dissemination; the way stories are written and distributed; our very identities, performed in virtual space as temporary and fleeting selves. The course sets out the relationship between the writer and reader (and/or user), specifically exploring interface, interactivity and forms of intimacy through writing. Case studies will be investigated from diverse writing genres (fiction and faction) as well as contemporary texts for performance. Students on this course will produce a portfolio of writing as well as a product that engages with the digital self. This could be a piece of performance text (where the digital input is made evident) or a work in which writing is part of the mix (engaging with image/ sound etc). Writing for the Screen Course code: COML1067 Rosamund Davies Writing for the Screen will develop students’ understanding of the theory and practice of writing for television and film drama. The course seeks to encourage students both towards creative self expression and to familiarize them with the established conventions and commercial practices of the media forms for which they are writing. Students will study narrative structure and dramatic form and will compare and contrast the particular possibilities and conventions that pertain to television and cinema. They will also develop their understanding of the key aspects of screenwriting, such as visual storytelling, narrative structure, theme, characterisation and dialogue through theory and practice. They will view and analyze visual and written examples of film and television narratives as well as carry out their own practical work. 12