AJ16174 Anglo-American Political Fiction, Film and Television

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2019
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
Thu 12:00–13:40 G31
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
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.”
Learning outcomes
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
  • (Spring 2019 syllabus. NOTE: Reading and viewing assignments are tentative and subject to change up to one week before the date for which they’re assigned, so check here for updates.)
  • WEEK 1 (21 February): INTRODUCTION
  • VIEW (in class): The West Wing, pilot episode
  • WEEK 2 (28 February): MACHIAVELS AND PATRIOT KINGS
  • READ: posted selections from Machiavelli, The Prince, posted excerpts; Bolingbroke, Idea of a Patriot King; US Constitutional Framing debates; Weems, Life of General George Washington
  • WEEK 3 (7 March) THE LINCOLN PARADIGM
  • READ: posted selections from The Diary of a Public Man; Herndon, True Story ... of Abraham Lincoln; Andrews, The Perfect Tribute
  • VIEW: Young Mr. Lincoln
  • WEEK 4 (14 March): THE “MR. SMITH” MYTH
  • READ: posted selections from Clancy, Executive Orders; Gross, Man of Destiny
  • VIEW: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Dave
  • WEEK 5 (21 March): CONSULTANTS AND “CABALS” (1)
  • VIEW: The Candidate; Primary Colors
  • WEEK 6 (28 March): CONSULTANTS AND “CABALS” (2)
  • VIEW: Yes, Minister, posted episodes; Network
  • WEEK 7 (4 April): BIG BROTHER(S)
  • READ: posted selections from George Orwell, 1984 (“The Theory & Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism”); "A Look at Orwell's Newspeak"; Lewis, It Can’t Happen Here
  • VIEW: 1984; Brazil
  • WEEK 8 (11 April): COLD WAR PARANOIA
  • VIEW: The Manchurian Candidate; Seven Days in May; Dr. Strangelove
  • WEEK 9 (18 April): READING WEEK -- NO CLASS MEETING
  • WEEK 10 (25 April): “UPOLIAS” AND FEMINIST (?) FICTIONS
  • READ: posted selections Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
  • VIEW: Veep and Commander in Chief, posted episodes
  • WEEK 11 (2 May): SHAKESPEAREAN ECHOES
  • VIEW: House of Cards (UK), episode 1; King Charles III
  • WEEK 12 (9 May): ALTERNATE HISTORIES
  • READ: Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle, chapters 1-7 and 14; Philip Roth, The Plot Against America, posted excerpts
  • WEEK 13 (16 May): TBA
Teaching methods
Lecture, discussion, film/video screenings
Assessment methods
Final exam, 100% (re-sit is a written assignment submitted by e-mail)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Teacher's information
http://tiny.cc/politicalfiction2018
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2015, Spring 2018, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2019/AJ16174