Cultural Studies

Our cultural studies courses are degree-accredited and designed to give you an opportunity to learn about and experience the history of London and the full range of arts on offer. The courses are taken in addition to the regular load of four courses and so are referred to as extension courses. They are credited at two US semester hours credit or four ECTS. The European Business Culture courses recieve full credit.

 

The following courses are normally available:

 

Code

Course Title

Available

LA2017

Performing Arts in London

fs

LA2018

Historic London

fs

LA3105

European Business Culture: France

f

LA3205

European Business Culture: Germany

f 

LA3305

European Business Culture: Spain

f

 

LA2017 Performing Arts in London 

Performing Arts in London looks at the array of arts offered in London, visiting a variety of performances and examining the policy surrounding their development and funding.

 

By the end of this module, a successful student will be able to:

  • Understand the fundamentals of how arts provision works: the influence of views on art of funding bodies on what is produced.
  • Evaluate a production
  • Understand diverse reasons for creation of a work of art
  • Understand varying aims of a creator of a work of arts

Indicative Content:

  • What’s on in London
  • What is Art?
  • The issue of High and Popular art
  • Funding of the Arts in England and costs to the public
  • Who goes to see what?
  • The way each art form has developed

Back to course table. 

LA2018 Historic London

Historic London follows 2,000 years of history in London to its present status as an international financial centre, examining the way in which the past has produced the modern city.

 

By the end of this module, a successful student will have an understanding of how events influence history.


The first half of the course will concentrate on the City of London from the time of the Romans. It will touch on the two major disasters which befell the City (the Fire of London and the Blitz) and will trace its growing autonomy as a self-governing area from the Guildhall, and its development as a major financial centre.


The second half of the course will explore London’s historical buildings and institutions outside the City. This will include a lecture on the government of this country and a visit to the Houses of Parliament, a lecture on the legal system here and a visit to the Royal Courts of Justice, Middle and Inner Temples and the whole area of Legal London.

 

The last visit will be to the reconstructed Globe Theatre where the students will be given a lecture by a member of the Globe staff on Theatre in the time of Shakespeare.

 

Back to course table.

European Business Culture

To develop knowledge of the target country in the context of business but also from a social economic and political point of view.   To synthesize the most important information of the national culture and to relate to business in the commercial world of the target country.  To use for business purposes the analysis of the target culture from the business world perspective with real life examples and case studies.

 

Syllabus:

  • Business, economy
  • Political and social structures
  • Education
  • Business and social culture

Indicative reading - France (LA3105)
J.Jackson (2001), The dark years, 1941-1945. OUP.
S. Bernstein (1993), The Republic of de Gaulle 1958-1969. CUP 1993.
H.D.Lewis (1985), The French eduction system. Croom Helm
T.Neather (1991), Education and Training: modern French society in transition. Routledge.
R.Turner & S.Perry, Aspects of contemporary France. Routledge.

 

Indicative reading - Germany (LA3205)
Mary Fulbrook, German History 1871-1990, most recent edition
Stephen Padgett (ed), Parties and Party Systems in the New Germany, Dartmouth, 1993
Derek Lewis and John RP McKenzie, The New Germany, University of Exeter Press, 1995
Gordon Smith, William Paterson and Stephen Padgett, (eds), Developments in German Politics 2, Macmillan 1996
Rebecca Harding and William Paterson (eds), The Future of the German Economy. An End to the Miracle?, Manchester University Press, 2000
Joern Leonhard and Lothar Funk, Ten Years of German Unification. Transfer, Transformation, Incorporation?, Birmingham University Press, 2002.

 

Indicative reading - Spain (LA3305)
K Bruton (1994), The business culture in Spain. Butterworth Heinemann.
P.J.Donaghy (1987), Spain a guide to political and economic institutions. CUP.
I Gibson (1992), Fire in the blood.  BBC Books.
J Harrison (1993), The Spanish economy from the Civil War to the European Community. Macmillan.
J Hooper (1987), The Spaniards: a portrait of the new Spain. Penguin.
K Salmon (1995), The modern Spanish economy. Pinter.