Course for international guest/part time students
- Faculty
- Faculty of Humanities
- Organization
- BTK Department of English Studies
- Code
- BMI-ANGD17-CP10aE.01
- Title
- Scottish Literature and Culture - Foundations and Perspectives: Cultural and historical perspectives on Scottish identity
- Usual semester
- Autumn
- ECTS
- 3
- Language
- en
- Learning outcomes
- This course provides insights into the complexity of cultural and historical perspectives on Scottish identity. The seminar aims to aid students in developing a nuanced understanding of the multi-faceted nature of Scottish identity, relying on the analysis of a wide selection of interdisciplinary research materials. The course will follow a thematic approach; after laying down the historical foundations first, the module will then address themes and topics ranging from music, dance, sports, language, colonialism, migration, food culture and humour, in order to illustrate the importance of viewing Scottish identity in a wider, transnational and interdisciplinary context. a) Knowledge Comprehension of the complexity of Scottish history as well as a clear understanding of chronological and thematic issues, building on their existing knowledge of the socio-political dynamics of the “British Isles” Confident use of language and advanced vocabulary, both in comprehension and in (verbal and written) argumentation Knowledge of relevant historiographical and cultural methodologies, interpretations, trends, and an awareness of the links among these b) Abilities Ability to read and interpret historiography in English Ability to learn independently, and to develop research plans Ability to place historical and cultural primary sources in their relevant contexts Ability to express themselves clearly about the topics with a correct use of English Ability to recognise the connections and links between a variety of textual and audio-visual primary sources and their cultural/historical contexts Ability to analyse primary sources in a broader sense, applying them to our everyday lives c) Attitude Openness towards the topics, methods and opinions raised in class Accepting of opinions, even if they are contrary to their own Openness to the possibility of a variety of interpretations Striving to master various analytical methods Showing an openness to historical and cultural texts that may prove difficult to comprehend for a first reading Readiness to engage in constructive discussion and debate with peers and instructors d) Autonomy and Responsibility Ability to work independently with historical texts based on the material presented during the class Formulating their own opinions and contrasting them with those of their peers and instructors Carrying out independent research and formulating the results independently Patient listening to and respect for informed opinions Developing educated and ethically responsible opinions, ready to communicate them to prospective students Maintaining a critical and open-minded approach to the material presented
- Course content
- The course will provide a historical overview of the formulation of Scottish identity and what has constituted “Scottishness” through the ages, focusing on a variety of themes, topics and sources, ranging from music, dance, sports, language, colonialism, migration, food culture and humour. Students will be able to supplement their existing historical knowledge of the “British Isles” by critically assessing different socio-cultural interpretations of Scottish identity based on recent research on the topic.
- Assessment method
- Term mark; 5-point scale. The course applies continuous assessment throughout the semester and is made up of three (3) components. Students’ attendance of the classes and their active contribution to discussions and debates there, based on their assigned weekly readings, will demonstrate their reading, critical analytical and speaking skills, and thus make up 30% of their final grade. Another 20% will be testing their comprehension and writing skills, in the form of brief homework assignments on Moodle 4. The remaining 50% will be the open-book, written in-class test at the end of the semester, which will assess students’ comprehension of debates and historiographical trends and cultural questions. Their continuous contribution to classroom debates and submission of homework assignments will prepare students for practising the skills to formulate their arguments in a succinct manner as well as being able to interpret a wide range of primary sources and place them in their proper socio-cultural contexts.
- Bibliography
- Abell, Jackie. “They seem to think ‘We’re better than you’: Framing football support as a matter of ‘national identity’ in Scotland and England.” British Journal of Social Psychology 50 (2011), pp. 246–264. Abrams, Lynn and Callum G. Brown. A History of Everyday Life in Twentieth-Century Scotland (Edinburgh University Press, 2010). Abrams, Lynn, Eleanor Gordon, Deborah Simonton and Eileen Janes Yeo. Gender in Scottish History since 1700 (Edinburgh University Press, 2006). Brown, Ian. From Tartan to Tartanry. Scottish Culture, History and Myth (Edinburgh University Press, 2010). Burdsey, Daniel and Robert Chappell. “‘And If You Know Your History’. An Examination of the Formation of Football Clubs in Scotland and their Role in the Construction of Social Identity.” The Sports Historian 21:1 (2001), pp. 94-106. Cooke, Anthony. A History of Drinking. The Scottish Pub since 1700 (Edinburgh University Press, 2015). Fitzgibbon, Theodora. A Taste of Scotland in Food and Pictures (Glasgow: Dent and Sons, 1970). Fraser, Joy and Christine Knight. “Signifying Poverty, Class, and Nation through Scottish Foods: From Haggis to Deep-Fried Mars Bars.” In Atsuko Ichijo, Venetia Johannes & Ronald Ranta (eds.), The Emergence of National Food: The Dynamics of Food and Nationalism (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019), pp. 137-157. Houston, R. A. and I. d. Whyte. Scottish Society 1500-1800 (Cambridge University Press, 1989). Hutchinson, Wesley. “Ulster-Scots: A Brief History of Dialogue.” Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique [Online] (2024), pp. 1-16. Jarvie, Grant. “Lonach, Highland Games and Scottish Sports History.” Journal of Sport History 31:2 (Summer 2004), pp. 161- 175. Leishman, David. “Original and Best”? How Barr’s Irn-Bru Became a Scottish Icon.” Études écossaises 19 – Scotland and the Sea (2017), pp. 1-18. MacKenzie, John M. “Empire and National Identities. The Case of Scotland.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (1998), pp. 215-231. McKerrell, Simon. Focus: Scottish Traditional Music (Newcastle University, 2016). Piskorska, Agnieszka, A. Korzeniowska, and I. Szymańska. “Humour and the popular stereotypes of Scots.” Scottish Culture: Aniela Korziiowska, IzabelaSzymanska, Semper (2016): pp. 369-379. Spencer, Colin. British Food: an extraordinary thousand years of history (London: Grub Street, 2011). Wilkie, Ian. ”’Anyone but England!’ Perceptions of difference; or ‘them’ and ‘us’ in Scottish comedy.” Comedy Studies 5:2 (2014), pp. 178-188. Williams, Victoria R. Food Cultures of Great Britain: Cuisine, Customs, and Issues (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2024).