VICM2265 - Victorian Childhoods

Objectives:

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

1 demonstrate advanced understanding of the cultural and material worlds of Victorian children, both working-class and middle-class, male and female;
2 identify and critically analyse various and changing experiences and constructions of childhood in the Victorian period, utilising effectively a range of texts, images, and artefacts;
3 demonstrate a high-level understanding of the social, political, cultural and material contexts in which Victorian children lived their lives, as appropriate, with particular reference to key themes such as family, religion, or school;
4 demonstrate self-direction and critical independence in a sophisticated argument that uses appropriate evidence/illustrations and engages with contextual and critical literature.

Content:

The module will be team-taught and will aim to introduce students to the material and cultural worlds of the Victorian child, both working and middle class, and male and female. The focus will be on the lived experience of Victorian children, and changing constructions of Victorian childhood, explored through six key themes. These are: 1. Nature, Culture and the Victorian Child; 2. Victorian Children, Heaven and Hell; 3. Home and Hearth: the Victorian Family and Child; 4. The Children of the Poor; 5. ‘Unwilling to School’: the Victorian Child Scholar; 5. The Victorian Child, Fairy and Fantasy Worlds. A wide range of sources will be utilised – literary, historical, material, and visual – and students will be encouraged to consider how Victorian experiences and ideas of childhood continue to shape our current thinking.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Students will use a wide range of sources, including children’s stories, paintings/images of children, historical documents, and artefacts (eg toys), and will contribute actively to seminars via short reports. Short presentations by tutors and plenary discussions will also be part of the pedagogic methods. The 20-minute individual tutorial may take different forms as appropriate to the individual student (e.g. face-to-face discussion, e-mail consultations). These tutorials are intended to give students some guidance on their choice of essay question and on researching the topic.

Seminars
Contact hours: 6 x 2 hours

Tutorials
Contact hours: 20 minutes per student
Intended Group size: 1

Assessment: