AJ16174 Anglo-American Political Fiction, Film and Television

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 9:10–10:45 B2.43
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ09999 Qualifying Examination || AJ01002 Practical English II ) && AJ07002 Intro. to American Studies II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
An introduction to some of the many ways in which political themes have been treated in fictions in various media from the 18th century to the present. Readings and film viewings will offer a survey of selected stories, principally American but also British, focused on politicians and government leaders, on political events and movements, and on imagined “utopian” or “dystopian” political futures. Topics to be discussed include the various uses of political fictions; recurring themes and their transformations in different periods and for different artistic purposes; and how fictions have anticipated and responded to real events, thereby contributing to the evolution of the Anglo-American “political imaginary.”

By successfully completing the course, students will achieve a better understanding of American and British history and politics, of certain “classic” works and characteristic developments in Anglo-American fiction and film, and of differences in modes and methods of storytelling in written prose, feature films and episodic television. They will gain further experience in analyzing imaginative works and relating them to historical events and contexts, and will become acquainted with an array of topics that could serve as the eventual basis for a bachelor’s thesis.
Syllabus
  • (TENTATIVE; watch for updates)
  • WEEK 1 (22 Sept.): COURSE INTRODUCTION
  • Shakespeare: Political fiction in the Henry plays (in class)
  • WEEK 2 (29 Sept.): PRESIDENTS AND "PATRIOT KINGS"
  • READ: posted selections on the "Patriot King," the US presidency, Washington and Lincoln (6 files)
  • WEEK 3 (6 Oct.): PROGRESSIVE, UTOPIAN AND "UPOLIAN" FICTIONS
  • READ: posted selections from political novels of the Progressive Era: Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward; Sutton E. Griggs, Imperium in Imperio; Thomas Dixon Jr., The Leopard's Spots; Edward M. House, Philip Dru, Administrator; Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
  • VIEW: Gabriel Over the White House
  • WEEK 4 (13 Oct.): "MEN OF THE PEOPLE" VERSUS "BIG BROTHERS"
  • VIEW: 1984
  • READ: posted/linked selections from George Orwell, 1984 ("The Theory & Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism"); Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here; Philip Roth, The Plot Against America
  • WEEK 5 (20 Oct.): THE MILITARY AND COLD WAR PARANOIA
  • VIEW: The Manchurian Candidate; Seven Days in May; Dr. Strangelove; Fail-Safe
  • WEEK 6 (27 October): READING WEEK
  • WEEK 7 (3 Nov.): COUNTERCULTURES AND THEIR POLITICAL "EMBODIMENTS"
  • READ: posted selections from Irving Wallace, The Man
  • VIEW: Kisses for My President; Wild in the Streets
  • WEEK 8 (10 Nov.): THE MANY FACES OF "MR. SMITH"
  • READ: posted selections from Tom Clancy, Executive Orders; Martin L. Gross, Man of Destiny
  • VIEW: Dave; Bulworth
  • WEEK 9 (17 Nov.): "Struggle for Freedom & Democracy Day": no class
  • WEEK 10 (24 Nov.): POLITICS IN BROADCAST TELEVISION
  • VIEW: selected episodes of Yes, Minister; The West Wing; Commander in Chief
  • WEEK 11 (1 Dec.): POLITICS IN "PRESTIGE" TELEVISION
  • VIEW: TBA
  • READ: TBA
  • WEEK 12 (8 Dec.): TBA; exam review
  • WEEK 13 (15 Dec.): Exam (first sitting)
Teaching methods
Lecture, discussion, film/video screenings
Assessment methods
Final exam, 100% (re-sit is term paper)
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://tinyurl.com/politicalfiction
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2015/AJ16174