VICM2975 - The Victorian Railway (Extended)

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 extended argument that uses a uses a suitably wide range of historical evidence for a 6,000-word essay (in the form of documents, maps, illustrations and photographs and appropriate buildings and artefacts) suitably wide range of evidence/illustrations for a 6,000-word essay, and also engages with relevant historiography and uses appropriate research methodologies.

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:

Students taking this module will already have taken seminars for VICM 2115. Once they have upgraded to VICM 2975, they will be allowed an additional 45 minutes of individual tutorial time. This time may be used in a combination of different ways (e.g. face-to-face discussion, e-mail consultations) as appropriate to the individual student. Students will be required to submit a proposal to register for the module, and encouraged to submit drafts for feedback before final submission.

Individual tutorial
Contact hours: 45 minutes per student
Intended Group size: 1

Assessment: