Unit information: Greed is Good: Enterprise Culture in Contemporary Britain and America in 2020/21

Unit name	Greed is Good: Enterprise Culture in Contemporary Britain and America
Unit code	HIST30126
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Edwards
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	none
Co-requisites	none
School/department	Department of History (Historical Studies)
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

Stuart Hall described contemporary society as having witnessed the ‘long march of the Neoliberal Revolution’. For historians, sociologists, political scientists and economists alike, tracing the rise of neoliberalism as an economic ideology and as a series of policies has been of the utmost importance. But what of the social and cultural manifestations of neoliberalism? This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of the emergence and development of a widespread ‘enterprise culture’ in Britain and America in the late-twentieth and early twenty-first century. It asks, how the meaning of enterprise changed in this period; how prevalent it became in contemporary culture; and how it affected society and the individual? In doing so, students will explore what it meant to be an entrepreneur, not just at work but in people’s relationships, private lives and in their understandings of themselves? Are we all neoliberal entrepreneurs now?

The political, cultural, and social, facets of contemporary enterprise culture are investigated through various sources, including political rhetoric, the popular press, television, film, literature, fashion, education, and business and industry. Students will explore enterprise culture in its diverse manifestations, and consider how widespread the logic of free market competition became at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the emergence and development of a widespread ‘enterprise culture’ in Britain and America in the late-twentieth and early twenty-first century.
2. demonstrate a critical interpretation of the political, cultural and social facets of contemporary enterprise culture.
3. Critically assess and interpret primary sources and select pertinent evidence in order to illustrate specific and more general historical points
4. Present their research and judgements in written forms and styles appropriate to the discipline and to level H/6

Teaching Information

Classes will involve a combination of class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.

Assessment Information

1 x 3500-word Essay (50%) [ILOs 1-4]; 1 x Timed Assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-4]

Reading and References

Anita Biressi and Heather Nunn, Class and Contemporary British Culture (London, 2013).

Ulrich Bröckling, The Entrepreneurial Self: Fabricating a New Type of Subject (London, 2016).

Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution (New York, 2015)

Thomas Frank, One Market Under God: Extreme Capitalism, Market 'Populism ,' and the End of Economic Democracy (New York, 2000).

Russell Keat and Nicholas Abercrombie (eds), Enterprise Culture (London, 1991).