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Cultural Studies (5) Agatha Christie and Archaeology  From: The British Museum In 1930, the famous crime and mystery writer Agatha Christie married the archaeologist Max Mallowan and accompanied him thereafter on all his excavations in the Middle East. In this seminar, Henrietta McCall, special curator for the "Agatha Christie and Archaeology" exhibition at the British Museum, retraces Agatha Christie's travels to the ancient sites, and explores how life on archaeological digs provided a constant inspiration and setting for many of her books. Classical Hollywood Cinema From: American Film Institute This seminar introduces the most popular narrative tendencies and film genres that were developed during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema: from the Marx Brothers to Fred Astaire; from Westerns and musicals to melodramas; and from "Singin' in the Rain" to "Frankenstein." Karen Voss, an AFI consultant and expert on critical film studies, provides a lively and thoughtful description of the rise of the major classical Hollywood studios and defines the key characteristics of seamless storytelling--the basic mode of film production used during this period. Creoles, Pidgins and the Evolution of Languages From: The University of Chicago and Cambridge University Press In this seminar, Salikoko S. Mufwene, professor and former chair of the department of linguistics at the University of Chicago, looks at some of the issues surrounding the evolution of English. Drawing on material in his recent book, The Ecology of Language Evolution, Mufwene questions attitudes about the evolution of languages, especially English, in today's world. He argues that we must consider a language's ecology--the sum total of internal and external forces acting upon it--if we are to understand how it evolves. How to Read Joyce From: Cambridge University Press Few writers have acquired a reputation for obscurity to equal that of James Joyce. The short stories of "Dubliners" and the semi-autobiographical narrative of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" are as close to the man as many readers will dare to venture. But to stop at these earlier works is to deprive oneself of some of the most clever and funniest writing in the English language. From the revolutionary technique of "Ulysses," to what Joyce considered to be his best work, "Finnegans Wake," a whole world of language and imagination awaits the uninitiated. In this seminar, Derek Attridge of the University of York, England, and Rutgers University in the US, offers a pathway to Joyce that attempts to bypass the intimidation. Rethinking Masculinity: Men and Their Bodies From: London School of Economics and Political Science In this seminar, Rosalind Gill, lecturer in gender and media studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, introduces and explores some of the pioneering research and conclusions concerning men's relationship with their bodies. Set in the context of the history of the representation of men in the media, the seminar provides a detailed understanding of men's responses to their bodies, an opportunity to hear the empirical voice of masculinity and a framework for judging the extent to which masculinity really is in crisis. | |||||||||||||||
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