CULTURE DEI PAESI DI LINGUA INGLESE
«Challenging ‘English’ Identities»
a.a. 2014-2015
Prof. Nancy Isenberg
Updated: 03.12.2014
Table of Contents
Notice Board
Introduction to the Course
Course Program
slide 3 (updated 03.12.2014)
slide 5
slide 13 (updated 03.12.2014)
Calendar of lesson contents
Part 1 Study Guide
Part 2 Study Guide
Part 3 Study Guide
slide 18 (updated 25.11.2014)
slide 19(updated 21.10.2014)
slide 23
slide 26 (updated 03.12.2014)
Concluding Questions
slide 28
2
NOTICE BOARD p. 1
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•
•
Course program update: Unit 3: see slides 17 and 26. 03.12.2014
Course program update: see slides 15 and 16 for the updates – in red - to Part2. There is now an
Introduction consisting of 3 Wikipedia pages, and the optional ‘Latino Spider Bites’ , specificially the pages
that discuss cultural issues in the U.S, is no longer optional; Daileader, Othellophilia is now optional.
Calendar also updated.
03.11.2014
ESONERO UNIT 3: GLI STUDENTI CHE VOGLIONO SOSTENERE L’ESONERO DEL 15 DICEMBRE DEVONO PRENOTARSI PRESSO IL
PORTALE DELLO STUDENTE TRA IL 4 E IL 10 DICEMBRE.
PER ISCRIVERSI PRESSO IL PORTALE DELLO STUDENTE, SEGUIRE ATTENTAMENTE LE ISTRUZIONI A QUESTO LINK
http://scienzepolitiche.uniroma3.it/blog/archives/669
UNA VOLTA ENTRATI NELLA PROPRIA PAGINA SUL PORTALE BISOGNA CLICCARE IN PROVE PARZIALI E POI FARE "RICERCA APPELLI" IN
QUELLA SEZIONE, BASTA INSERIRE ANCHE SOLO LA PAROLA "INGLESE".
03.12.2014
•
About subtitles to The English Speaking World:
Take note that they are only about 50% accurate, presumably created automatically by software. They also at times
present very vulgar expressions which have absolutely nothing to do with what is being said.
(16.10.2014)
3
NOTICE BOARD p. 2
•
New PDF added to Materials
Text of subtitles to Schama, ‘The Wrong Empire
(10.10.2014)
•
Choosing an edition of Othello and Julius Caesar :
Look for a bilingual (‘testo a fronte’) critical edition with introduction
and notes, possibly one which is not ‘dated’ in terms of what aspects of
the play are the main focus of the critical apparatus.
(09.10.2014)
•
Two interesting articles on study habits and learning from the New
York Times
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/better-ways-to-learn/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/magazine/why-flunking-exams-is-actually-a-good-thing.html
(09.10.2014)
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Defining «Cultures of English Speaking Countries»
(“Culture dei paesi di lingua inglese”)
• QUESTIONS:
• «English speaking countries»: what does this
mean? How would you define this term?
• «Cultures»: what does this mean? How would
you define this term?
5
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Defining ‘English Speaking Countries’
(“paesi di lingua inglese”)
• Anglosphere: Countries where English is the ‘first’
language (native language/mother tongue; however,
define ‘native’)
• Countries where English is the official language
• Countries where English is the major language
6
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Countries where English is a major language
Main article: List of countries where English is an official language
English is the primary language in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia,
the Bahamas,Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Indian Ocean Territory,
the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Falkland
Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Guyana, Ireland, the Isle of
Man, Jamaica,Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand, Pitcairn Islands, Saint
Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
In some countries where English is not the most spoken language, it is
an official language. English is also an important language in several former
colonies and protectorates of the United Kingdom, such
as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cyprus, Malaysia, and theUnited Arab
Emirates.
7
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Defining ‘English Speaking “Countries”’
(looking beyond ‘geography’ to where English is spoken)
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Regional varieties
Hybrid Englishes: pidgin English, creole
English as a world language/global language/lingua franca
English as one of the official languages of the European
Union, the United Nations
• English as the official language of aeronautical /maritime
communications
• English as the language of technology
8
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Quick links 1
The English Speaking World
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-speaking_world
List of countries where English is the official language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_where_English_is_an_official_language
Anglosphere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglosphere
Commonwealth of Nations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations
Map of Commonwealth Countries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Commonwealth_of_Nations.svg
Map of U.S. territories
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Territorial_waters_-_United_States.svg/800pxTerritorial_waters_-_United_States.svg.png
List of countries where English is an official language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_where_English_is_an_official_language
9
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Quick links 2
«English as a World Language» (Charles Barber,
almost complete chapter 10 of The English
Language, a historical introduction, begins on p.
239)
http://books.google.it/books?id=Hrc0AlvgowQC&pr
intsec=frontcover&dq=charles+barber+the+english
+language+a+historical+introduction&hl=it&sa=X&e
i=_lIxVMjmKoLUas3YgrAJ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage
&q=charles%20barber%20the%20english%20langu
age%20a%20historical%20introduction&f=false
10
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Defining ‘Cultures’ (cultural studies)
(defining the methodological approaoch to the course)
Extract from Wikipedia entry ‘cultural studies’
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_studies)
• Cultural studies is focused upon the political dynamics of contemporary culture
and its historical foundations, conflicts and defining traits. Researchers concentrate
on how a particular medium or message relates to ideology, social
class, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality and/or gender, rather than providing an
encyclopedic identification, categorization or definition of a particular culture or
area of the world.[1]
• Cultural studies combines feminist theory, social theory, political
theory, history, philosophy, literary theory, media theory, film/video
studies, communication studies, political economy, translation studies, museum
studies and art history/criticism to study cultural phenomena in various societies.
Thus, cultural studies seeks to understand how meaning is generated,
disseminated, and produced from the social, political and economic spheres within
a given culture. The influential theories of cultural hegemony and agency have
emerged from the cultural studies movement as well as the most recent
communications theory, which attempts to explain the cultural forces
behind globalization.
11
Defining the title of the course program
“Challenging ‘English’ identities”
•What does this title mean?
•How would you translate it into Italian?
•What is the grammatical identification of
‘Challenging’?
12
Challenging ‘English’ identities
The Course Program
Brief description:
This course will explore aspects of diversity related to ‘English’ as a term applied to
language and culture. It will do so within and across historic and geographic
boundaries. The course which will be taught in English is structured in 3 units.
There will be optional in-course evaluations at the end of each unit which, if
passed, will count as part of the final examination.
More information about exams and guidelines for preparing them, as well as updates
regarding the lessons, materials and approaches to the materials, evaluations,
additional study options, etc. will be posted at
http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programm
i-e-materiali-didattici/. The course materials in PDF format are available at this URL.
Students are expected, throughout the first semester, to stay informed about
updates.
Language skills: By the end of the course, through the study of the materials in the
program – print and video – students should have a B2 level on reading and
listening comprehension. Students attending the lessons will have further language
practice.
The program for attending and non-attending students is identical.
NOTA BENE: If the URLS indicated in this program are not interactive, saving this page
to your PC should solve the problem.
13
The Course Program
Part 1: The English Speaking World /The World Speaking English
MATERIALS:
•Robert McCrum, William Cran, Robert MacNeil, “An English-Speaking World”, in The Story of English (Faber and Faber 1987), pp.
19-48.
Format: PDF in due parts
http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-e-materialididattici/materiali-didattici/
•“The English-Speaking World”, episode 1 of the BBC-PBS documentary film series The Story of English (1986), 60 minutes. (NOTE:
The documentary series is the companion to the book by the same title).
Format: video online.
In 7 parts with subtitles on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FtSUPAM-uA&list=PL955143C5CD9E2615.
This link to the first clip will provide links to the successive clips
Also available in the Videoteca of the Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Letterature Straniere, Via Valco di San
Paolo 19, 1st floor.
Catalogue Number: En.Doc.Sto.04
•Simon Schama, “The Wrong Empire” (episode 11, 60 minutes) and “The Empire of Good Intentions” (episode 14, 60 minutes) of
the BBC documentary film series A History of Britain.
Format: DVD with subtitles
Available in the Videoteca of the Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Letterature Straniere, Via Valco di
San Paolo 19, 1st floor.
Catalogue Number: En.Doc.Sto.02a-b-c
Occasionally available online on youtube.
• David Crystal, Global English (6 short video clips with subtitles), ELT Educational, Macmillan 2010.
Format: video online
In 6 parts with subtitles available on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ29zDW9gLI&list=PL6303D94B68C71D1D.
This link to the first clip will provide links to the successive clips.
14
Course Program
Part 2: Diversity in action: Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the U.S.
Introduction
Wikipedia.en: - Racism in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States),
- Asian American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_American), Sections 1 Terminology, 2 Demographics, 3 History, 6
Cultural Issues
- Hispanic and Latino Americans ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_and_Latino_Americans), Sections 1 Terminology, 2
History, 8 Cultural Issues
First case study: Battling diversity
MATERIAL:
Freedom Writers (2007), directed by Richard LaGravenese, with Hillary Swank and Patrick Dempsey, (123 minutes).
Format: DVD with subtitles
Also vailable on youtube without subtitles
Copy on order for the Videoteca of the Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Letterature Straniere, Via Valco di San Paolo
19, 1st floor.
Secod case study: Performing diversity
MATERIALS:
William Shakespeare, Othello (any edition, in English or Italian)
Format: book
Celia R. Daileader , Introduction ‘Othellophilia’, Racism, Misogyny, and the Othello Myth. Inter-racial Couples from Shakespeare to Spike Lee
(Cambridge, 2005), pp. 1-13.
Format: PDF http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-e-materialididattici/materiali-didattici/
(continues on next slide)
15
Course Program
Part 2: Diversity in action: Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the U.S.
(Continuation from previous slide)
Nancy Isenberg, “Beyond the Black and White Paradigm: The casting of Othello and Desdemona on the ballet stage”, in S. Corso and M. D’Amico
(eds.), Postcolonial Shakespeare (Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2009), pp. 157-169.
Format: PDF http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-e-materialididattici/materiali-didattici/
Othello (2002), ballet, choreographed by Lars Lubovitch, performed by San Francisco Ballet.
Format: DVD
Nota Bene: A selection of passages will be indicated during the course.
Available in the Videoteca of the Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Letterature Straniere, Via Valco di San Paolo 19, 1st
floor.
Catalogue Number: En.SHA.17
Nancy Isenberg, “Latino Spider Bites : Shifting vocabularies of otherness for Bianca in a recent Othello ballet”, in V. Intonti, F. Troisi, M. Vitale
(eds.), Forms of Migration. Migration of Forms (Progeit, 2009), pp. 113-121.
Format: PDF
http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-e-materiali-didattici/materiali-didattici/
OPTIONAL MATERIAL:
Celia R. Daileader , Introduction ‘Othellophilia’, Racism, Misogyny, and the Othello Myth. Inter-racial Couples from Shakespeare to Spike Lee
(Cambridge, 2005), pp. 1-13.
Format: PDF http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-e-materialididattici/materiali-didattici/
Nancy Isenberg, “Latino Spider Bites : Shifting vocabularies of otherness for Bianca in a recent Othello ballet”, in V. Intonti, F. Troisi, M. Vitale
(eds.), Forms of Migration. Migration of Forms (Progeit, 2009), pp. 113-121.
Format: PDF
http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-e-materiali-didattici/materiali-didattici/
16
Course Program
Part 3: Cross-culturally exchanges: The Italian-English connection
MATERIALS:
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (any edition, in English or Italian)
Format: book
Nancy Isenberg, “ ‘Caesar’s word against the world’: Caesarism and the Discourses of Empire”, in I. R. Makaryk and M.
McHugh (eds.), Shakespeare and the Second World War. Memory Culture Identity (Univ. of Toronto Press, 2012), pp. 83105.
Format: PDF http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-emateriali-didattici/materiali-didattici/
Julius Caesar (1953), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, with Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, Louis Calhern,
120 minutes.
Format: DVD with subtitles
Available in the Videoteca of the Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Letterature Straniere, Via Valco di
San Paolo 19, 1st floor.
Catalogue Number: En.SHA.07
Marie Wyke, “Film Style and Fascism: Julius Caesar” in Film Studies, issue 4 (2004), pp. 58-74
Format: PDF http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-emateriali-didattici/materiali-didattici/
OPTIONAL MATERIAL:
Nancy Isenberg, “Shakespeare’s Rome in Rome’s Wooden ‘O’”, in M. Del Sapio (ed.), Identity, Otherness and Empire in
Shakespeare’s Rome (Ashgate, 2009), pp.175-190
Format: PDF http://lingueletteratureculturestraniere.uniroma3.it/docente/nisenberg/programmi-emateriali-didattici/materiali-didattici/
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Part 1. The English Speaking World/ The World Speaking English
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
• Work intertextually with both ‘’The English Speaking
World’ materials (print and video) to create your own
synthetic overview of the subject from a socioeconomico-political perspective.
• Work intertextually with ‘The English Speaking
World’ (print and video, 1987) and David Crystal,
‘Global English’ (video, c. 2010) to adjust and update
your overview.
• Study the videos ‘The Wrong Empire’ and ‘The
Empire of Good Intentions’ to create your own
overview of the role of British Expansionism in the
spread of English across the globe.
19
Part 1. The English Speaking World/ The World Speaking English
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
QUESTIONS:
1a. How did English/Englishes become ‘global’, in the geographic world,
in the world of communication, in the virtual world?
1b. What are the ‘cultural’ (i.e., historical, political, sociological, etc.)
elements that contributed to the spread of English?
• Create a timeline of the key events that have promoted the spread of
English across the globe
• Give a brief overview (approx. 5-10 lines) of the phenomenon of the
spread of English across the globe, from a ‘cultural’ perspective.
• Give a brief explanation (approx. 3-8 lines) for each element of how it
contributed to the spread of English across the globe, from a ‘cultural’
perspective.
20
Part 1. The English Speaking World/ The World Speaking English
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
2. What role did British expansionism and later its decline play in the spread of
the use of English across the globe?
• Give a brief overview (5-10 lines) of the topic
• Discuss (8-15 lines) the effects of British expansionism from the perspective of
the populations that were ‘used by’, incorporated into the British Empire.
What is Simona Schama refering to when he uses the term ‘The Wrong
Empire’?
3. What is the current state of the use of English/Englishes around the globe
today? (respond using the materials for Part 1, and the Introductory slides to
the course - slides 4-10)
• Give a brief overview (5-10 lines) of the topic.
• Describe (8-15 lines) the multiple facets of the phenomenon, from the
perspective of current cultural-linguistic views.
• What are the key linguistic-cultural terms relevant to the discussion the
phenomenon?
21
Part 1. The English Speaking World/ The World Speaking English
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
• TIME LINE work in progress 21.10.2014
A ‘clean’ version has been posted on the Facebook Group page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/9218513578438
32/
22
Part 2. Diversity in action: Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the U.S.
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
First case study: Battling diversity
• Reflect on the term ‘Battling’ in the title (verb/adjective)
• Study the video from a socio-political point of view, creating
your own overview of the problems presented, their causes,
and the approaches to addressing these problems presented
in the film. Keep in mind that this is a commercial film, but
based on a true story. Ask yourselves how this affects the film
narrative. Ask yourselves how watching the film, as opposed
to reading a printed account of the Freedom Writers’s
experience, affects your understanding of the experience
narrated.
23
Part 2. Diversity in action: Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the U.S.
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
Second case study: Performing diversity
Reading Shakespeare’s Othello: you will need to understand the plot, and the
relationships between main characters. Pay special attention to Othello and
Desdemona (how they manifest their own characters in their words and actions,
what others say about them, how they relate to others). Pay attention in the same
way to Bianca, a minor character.
Reading Daileader, ‘Othellophilia’: construct your own overview of the problems over
time presented by the role of Othello in performance, i.e. the cultural and sociopolitical issues (especially regarding race, gender, ethnicity) that have generated
problems. See especially the first 2 pages.
Reading Isenberg, ‘Beyond the Black and White Paradigm’ in combination with viewing
extracts from the ballet film Othello. Create your own overview of the key cultural,
socio-political issues identified in the ballet (especially regarding race, gender,
ethnicity)
Reading Isenberg, ‘Latino Spider Bites’. Although this article is optional, you are
warmly invited to read it, addressing your attention specifically to the discussion of
the casting of a Cuban dancer in the context of a ballet performance of Othello in
the US, in California, in that particular time.
24
Part 2. Diversity in action: Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the U.S.
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
QUESTIONS:
How do different media and materials address similar problems regarding race, ethnicity and
gender?
How can the study of the film ‘Freedom Writers’ and the ballet ‘Othello’ combine to bring
awareness to problems regarding cultural identity (i.e., race, ethnicity and gender)? How can
they contribute to the discussion of these problems, promote solutions?
What can we learn from studying such materials about how socio-political discussions can
circulate across medial boundaries?
(Are you able to answers these questions together in approx. 1000-2000 words?)
Nota Bene: Should we change this word count? To be discussed in class)
25
Part 3. Cross-culturally exchanges: The Italian-English connection
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
•
•
•
•
•
Reading Julius Caesar: you will need to understand the plot, and the relationships
between main characters. Pay special attention to Caesar (how he manifests his
own character, in his words and actions, what others say about him, how he
relates to others). To a lesser degree, pay attention in the same way to Brutus and
Mark Anthony.
Reading Isenberg, ‘Caesar’s Word’: create your own overview of the cultural
exchange over time between Italy and Shakespeare (to this end, you may want to
look for input from Isenberg, ‘Shakespeare’s “O” ‘); create your own overview of
the key socio-political elements regarding Mussolini’s use of Shakespeare's Julius
Caesar.
Reading Wyke, ‘Film Style’: create your own overview, from a socio-political view,
of the key elements discussed regarding the film Julius Caesar and the influence of
Italian Fascism
Viewing the film Julius Caesar: create your own overview of the interplay between
Shakespeare’s play, Italian Fascism and the film in order to ‘read’ the film as an
American (U.S.) socio-political document from the early 1950’s influenced by the
international political history of the preceding decades.
Reading Isenberg ‘Shakespeare’s Wooden O’: skim this text to extract information
about examples of Shakespearan Italian-English cross-cultural exchange.
26
Part 3. Cross-culturally exchanges: The Italian-English connection
Study Guide
(work in progress until the last lesson on this part of the course)
QUESTIONS:
What are some of the key moments in the Italian-English cross-cultural
exchange from Shakespeare’s time onward, specifically in relation to
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (and the other Roman plays)?
What can we learn from studying such exchanges about how culture
circulates across borders? How does this affect our concepts of
nationalism, national identity?
(Are you able to answers these questions together in approx. 1000-2000
words?) Nota Bene: Should we change this word count? To be discussed in class)
27
‘Challenging ‘English’ Identities
QUESTIONS
(in conclusion to the course)
(work in progress until the last lesson)
• What have we ‘challenged’ (verb) or identified as ‘challenging’ (adjective)?
• What cultural connotations have we identified as relating to the term
‘English’?
• How have we approached the concept of ‘identity’ in relation to ‘English’
(Are you able to answers these questions together in approx. 700 to 1500 words?)
Nota Bene: Should we change this word count? To be discussed in class)
28
End of PowerPoint Presentation
UPDATED TO 03.12.2014
29