BRITISH HISTORY AND CULTURE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT 2

概要

This class will introduce you to aspects of British Romantic-period culture (1780 - 1830) through a reading of Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein". Topics covered in individual classes will include: psychology, aesthetics, travel, science, and the supernatural. We will spend the first weeks of semester reading extracts from "Frankenstein", focusing on the plot, the philosophical ideas it raises, its historical context, and the global imagination of the story (which ranges from the North Pole to the Swiss Alps). The final part of the course will explore the 19th- and 20th-century afterlife of the text in Britain and America, including film adaptations (e.g., Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 film) and references to Frankenstein in contemporary scientific debates about artificial intelligence and bioethics. I will ask you to read about 25-30 pages in English each week, along with some short extracts from academic essays. In addition to Frankenstein, we will read some short extracts from other Romantic-period Gothic texts, including Horace Walpole's "Castle of Otranto" (1764) and John Polidori's short story "The Vampyre" (1819).

目標

1. To improve your understanding of Romantic-period British culture. 2. To allow you to understand and appreciate "Frankenstein" in its cultural and philosophical context. 3. To improve your English skills (particularly listening and writing). 4. To improve your ability to read academic texts written in English. 5. To improve your ability to write academic essays in English (short reaction assignments and a final essay).

授業外の学習

Reading the texts for each week; producing short written exercises (e.g. summaries of articles) in preparation for class; preparing for assignments and tests. (Total of at least 2 hours per class).

所要時間: 190 minutes