British Culture Studies The Social and Cultural Context

Course Skills Discussion/Speaking Written Answers Research Analysis, Critical Thinking

Remember: This is a content course NOT a language skills course. Content VS. language skills BUT—because it is a content “speaking” class, you must participate by speaking on course content.

Let’s Begin. Please 1) introduce yourself… and 2) talk about why you chose 영미학과 Take 2-3 minutes, write down your answer and then be ready to share with the class. (you don’t need to stand)

What is the United Kingdom?

England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

Discussion What do you know about the United Kingdom? What do you know about the culture of the United Kingdom? How do we define ‘culture’ in our course?

Culture What is culture…?

Culture includes…

Examples of British culture?

Stereotype VS. Cultural Understanding

Our Department, Our Course Goal = Cultural Understanding Cross-cultural communication Cultural material (literature, media, current events)

What is culture?

A definition… Culture = “a way of life of a group of people, developed over time, and passed down from generation to generation” British = ways of life British = changes over time British = generation to generation

Studying Culture… …helps us learn about new cultures… …and helps us learn about our own culture.

In our course, we begin… After 1945… to the present day. You will be studying ~1600 years leading to 1945 in British History.

Change Since the 1950’s… Since the 1950s Britain has experienced a period of accelerated social and cultural change. This has coincided with the disintegration of the British Empire, an expansion of the Commonwealth and the immigration of people of numerous nationalities, languages and cultures. The gradual globalising of life, to which these phenomena have contributed, has produced a multi-ethnic Britain, with a plurality of identities and heritages.

Discussion. 1) What do you think caused this ‘accelerated social and cultural change’? What major historical events occurred in Britain and throughout the world just before the 1950’s? Give some examples of these major historical events. 2) What is an empire? 3) What is the Commonwealth? * Talk about these questions with your classmates. Use the internet (on your phones) to look up words/concepts that are new.

1) World war II

World War II

2) Empire

North America… Africa… Middle east… India… Australia… Caribbean… + More

3) Commonwealth

Immigration, globalization

Discussion 1) Last semester (American Studies), we talked about diversity, ethnicity and immigration in the USA. How is this similar and different from diversity, ethnicity and immigration in the United Kingdom? 01 2) How would you define globalization? 02 3) Can you think of some examples of globalization in your country? What about globalization in the United Kingdom? 03

Immigration

Globalisation “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world” (Levin Institute, 2016).

Since the 1950’s…

Women’s Movement The entry of women into the labour market and their increasing independence has brought about fundamental changes in their position in society and their relations with men. Similarly, the emergence of youth as an identifiable group with a very different lifestyle to members of an older generation, has contributed substantially to the changing social and cultural profile.

Ethnicity, feminism, Youth 1948 and 1978 Between 1948 and 1978 the impact of ethnicity, feminism and youth in Britain was felt across the arts, as successive governments provided funds through the Arts Council to encourage new styles of expression. 1979 This continued until the election of the Conservative Government in 1979, which marked an important turning point.

1) Ethnicity 2) Feminism 3) Youth Discussion

Conservatism

Thatcher-ism

Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1979-1990

‘Thatcherism’ marked the greatest political, economic and cultural shift in Britain this century. But by the mid-1990s the Conservative Government was suffering from weak leadership and profound internal divisions. Thatcher-ism

New Society (1945-1960)