AJc217 British Culture, History and Literature 3

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/2. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Světlana Hanušová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
AJc216 Kultura, historie a literatura Velké Británie 2
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course acquaints students with the history, literature and culture of the 19th-century Great Britain. The aim of the subject is to introduce chief authors, literary movements, historical events, cultural values and norms of the era and study their interdependence. The course models the concept of integrated, topic-based teaching and learning which uses discussions, problem-solving tasks, project work and other modern methods to enhance students´knowledge but also critical thinking skills, reading skills and linguistic, civil and other competencies.
Learning outcomes
The student:
- will be able to read, analyse and interpret literary texts in English in the historical and literary context;
- will be able to detect mutual determination of historical events and their imprint in art;
- will have written several short response papers during the semester reacting to the class reading and discussing its historical and cultural context;
- will have read three literary works of the period.
Syllabus
  • 1. Industrial Revolution and the decline of the English country life;
  • 2. The impact of the Great French Revolution and revolt against reason; the Gothic novel;
  • 3. Cultural de-centralization: Romanticism of Robert Burns and Walter Scott;
  • 4. Romanticism: Lake School of Poetry and celebration of nature.
  • 5. Early Victorian period and the rise of the Victorian novel; the plight of a woman in the novels by the Brontë sisters;> 6. Social critique in the novels by Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson;
  • 7. British imperialism and late Victorian era> Rudyard Kipling;
  • 8. Social Darwiniam and Naturalism. The decline of the rural England in the novels by Thomas Hardy.
  • 9. The turn of the century and advent of Modernism.
  • 10. Modern city and the rise of popular culture: T.S. Eliot.
  • 11. World War I and the fall of the empire: the War poets and Virginia Woolf;
  • 12. The interwar period and World War II: dark vision of the future by George Orwell.
  • Předmět je vyučován za spolupráce dvou pedagogů s odborností v oblasti historie a literatury a probíhá v tříhodinových blocích: 1. Průmyslová revoluce a labutí píseň anglického venkova: Jane Austenová. 2. Dědictví Velké francouzské revoluce a vzpoura proti nadvládě rozumu: gotický román. 3. Kulturní decentralizace: romantismus Roberta Burnse a Waltera Scotta. 4. Období romantismu: jezerní básníci a příklon k přírodě. 5. Raná doba viktoriánská a vzmach viktoriánského románu: ženský hlas v románech sester Brontëových a George Eliotové. 6. Kritika společnosti v románech Charlese Dickense a Roberta Louise Stevensona. 7. Britský imperialismus a pozdní doba viktoriánská: Rudyard Kipling. 8. Sociální darwinismus a naturalismus. Zánik venkova v románech Thomase Hardyho. 9. Přelom století a nástup modernismu. 10. Moderní město a nástup populární kultury: T. S. Eliot. 11. První světová válka a rozpad britského impéria: váleční básníci a Virginia Woolfová. 12. Doba mezi válkami a druhá světová válka: temná vize budoucnosti George Orwella.
Literature
  • British history in perspective : British history in perspective (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) (OCLC-830a). info
  • JAVORČÍKOVÁ, Jana. A compendium of English literature : an annotated companion to English literature and literary theory. Vydanie prvé. Banská Bystrica: Vydavatel'stvo Univerzity Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici Belianum, 2015, 201 stran. ISBN 9788055710044. info
  • PECK, John and Martin COYLE. A brief history of English literature. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002, xiii, 353. ISBN 0333791770. info
  • THORNLEY, G. C. and Gwyneth ROBERTS. An outline of English literature. New ed. Harlow: Longman, 1984, 216 p. ISBN 0582749174. info
  • OLIVERIUSOVÁ, Eva. A survey of English literature. 2., přeprac. vyd. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1977, 163 s. info
  • OLIVERIUSOVÁ, Eva. A survey of English literature. Vyd. 1. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1972, 163 s. info
  • DAICHES, David. A critical history of english literature. 2nd ed. London: Secker & Warburg, 1969, viii, 245. ISBN 0436121042. info
  • NEEDLEMAN, M. H. and W. B. OTIS. An outline-history of English literature. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1966, 653 s. info
  • ELTON, Oliver. A survey of English literature. 1830-1880. Vol. 2 [Elton, 1920]. London: Edward Arnold, 1920, xi, 432 p. info
  • ELTON, Oliver. A survey of English literature. 1780-1830. Vol. 2 [Elton, 1912]. London: Edward Arnold, 1912, xii, 475 p. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class activities and discussions, learning centres and project work.
Assessment methods
Continous assessment: class work, response papers
Formative assessment: credit test and interview
Language of instruction
English
Study support
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=2851
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 24 hodin.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/AJc217