124185 VK BEd 08b.3: VK Cultural Studies for Language Teachers (2020S)

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, born 26.4.1926, aka The Queen, has ruled for longer than any other monarch in British history and is the longest-reigning living monarch world-wide. Over the years the monarchy has shown a remarkable ability to adapt and respond to the challenges of respective historical conjunctures and has developed into a global brand. The royal family remains unequalled as a focus for media fascination; both the tabloids and the broadsheets regularly feature them, cinema (The Queen 2006), TV and streaming platforms (The Crown 2016-) have payed homage to “the firm” and particularly to Queen Elizabeth. Marking the Queen's popularity over decades, this seminar will have the fashioning and representation of female royalty at its centre. We will investigate Shakespeare’s Cleopatra and her fictional and cinematic afterlife, have a closer look at both Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria within the contexts of their times, focus on Princess Diana and her shifting status between royalty, star and celebrity and will also not neglect “hard Megxit”, originally a word play on the political term “hard Brexit”, and its intersectional implications. Our topic will be addressed from multiple perspectives and will be focused on different historical periods. We will explore what scholars from backgrounds in literature studies, media studies, cultural studies, history and art history have to contribute to our theme. Part of the classwork will be hands-on with a focus on the practicalities of the UF Englisch classroom.