AJL16174 Anglo-American Political Fiction, Film and Television

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ01002 Practical English II || AJL01002 Practical English 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
  • NOTE: Reading and viewing assignments are tentative and subject to change up to one week before the date for which they’re assigned. The course ELF page will have current updates.)
  • WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION
  • VIEW (in class): The West Wing, pilot episode
  • WEEK 2: MACHIAVELS AND PATRIOT KINGS
  • READ: posted selections from Machiavelli, The Prince; Bolingbroke, Idea of a Patriot King; Debates on the presidency; Weems, Life of General George Washington
  • VIEW: Commander in Chief, Veep, House of Cards (US), pilot episodes
  • WEEK 3: 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: THE “MR. SMITH” MYTH
  • READ: posted selections from Clancy, Executive Orders; Gross, Man of Destiny
  • VIEW: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Dave
  • WEEK 5: CONSULTANTS AND “CABALS” (1)
  • VIEW: The Candidate; Primary Colors
  • WEEK 6: CONSULTANTS AND “CABALS” (2)
  • VIEW: Yes, Minister, posted episodes; Network
  • WEEK 7: DIFFERENCE, DIVERSITY, AND "THE HUMAN ELEMENT"
  • VIEW: Bulworth; Head of State
  • WEEK 8: COLD WAR PARANOIA
  • VIEW: Seven Days in May; Dr. Strangelove
  • WEEK 9: SHAKESPEAREAN ECHOES
  • VIEW: House of Cards (UK), episode 1; King Charles III
  • WEEK 10: READING WEEK; NO CLASS MEETING
  • WEEK 11: BIG BROTHER(S)
  • READ: “The Theory & Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism”; "Principles of Newspeak," "Newspeak Dictionary"; Lewis, It Can’t Happen Here
  • READ: 1984 (see posted options)
  • VIEW: Video segments posted (Henry V speech, Apple ad, Trump ad, the "Two-Minute Hate")
  • WEEK 12: "UPOLIAS" AND "UCHRONIAS"
  • READ: Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle, chapters 1,2,7 and 14 (recommended: 1-7, 14); Philip Roth, The Plot Against America, posted excerpts; Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland, posted excerpts
  • WEEK 13: TBA
  • WEEK 14: CONCLUSION
  • VIEW/READ: "Political arguments," posted collection
Teaching methods
Lecture, discussion, readings, film/video screenings
Assessment methods
Final exam, 85%; three written "section reviews," 5% each (not graded, but required in order to pass the course)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Teacher's information
See the course ELF page.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/AJL16174