VICM2115 - The Victorian Railway

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1 demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical understanding of selected issues relating to the Victorian Railway and its economic, social and political impact in Britain and overseas;
2 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the relevant historiography on the Victorian Railway and wider nineteenth-century economy and society;
3 apply an advanced range of theoretical approaches and research methodologies to analyse primary sources on the Victorian Railway;
4 apply a high-level understanding of the Victorian Railway and the wider impact that it had upon contemporary society;
5 demonstrate self-direction and originality in a sophisticated written argument which engages with relevant historiography and uses advanced research methodologies and historical evidence in the form of documents, maps, illustrations and photographs and appropriate buildings and artefacts.

Content:

The aim of this module is to consider the Victorian Railway and the impact that it had upon contemporary economy and society. This will not only be considered in Victorian Britain itself, but morely widely in the British Empire and in other overseas nations where British railway engineering expertise and financial investment led to the construction of the railway. Starting with a consideration of recent relevant historiography on the railway and wider culture and society, and of researching railway history, the module will move on to consider a range of topics from ‘Railway Labour’, ‘Women and the Railway’, and ‘Railway Navvies’, to the impact of the railway on town and city and in the British Empire. Students will be encouraged to select topics for the six sessions from an extensive list of subjects, and to develop their own interests through relevant reading, primary source research and field work.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module employs a range of learning and teaching methods. These include group discussion; seminar reading and debate; workshops on primary source material including documents, maps, contemporary photographs and film; presentations and discussions. Students will be expected to give a short presentation to the group on the topic that they have decided to research for their assessed essay. Personal tutorials will also be held.

Seminars
Contact hours: 6 x 2 hours

Individual tutorials
Contact hours: 20 minutes per student

Assessment: