ENGM5135 - Victorian Ethics I

Objectives:

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

1 demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the relation of ethical debates to a range of cultural and literary artefacts;
2 apply an appropriate range of advanced critical and theoretical approaches to analyse these ethical debates;
3 demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the texts chosen for study, including an awareness of the extent to which these texts were shaped by the social and intellectual conditions of the Victorian world, and the extent to which these texts aimed to effect a reorganisation of that world;
4 demonstrate detailed knowledge and critical understanding of the relation of ethical debates to a range of cultural and literary artefacts;
5 demonstrate self-direction and critical independence in a sophisticated extended argument that uses a suitably wide range of evidence/illustrations for a 3000-word essay, and also engages with contextual and critical literature.

Content:

This module aims to place a selected Victorian ethical writer within the appropriate social, cultural and intellectual contexts of the Victorian age. The module will pay particular attention to the local and wider social conditions in which the chosen writer worked: both the impact of those conditions on the writing, and the intended impact of that writing on the social conditions. It will also consider how particular preoccupations of the Victorian age were reflected in their writing, covering such topics as the role of human nature in ethical discourse, the influence of social and economic conditions, the changing position of women, and attitudes towards religion. The focus of the six sessions will be on a sustained analysis of a representative selection of the ethical writer’s work. Students will be encouraged to engage in critical analysis of these works, but also to attempt a sympathetic recreation of the Victorian aspirations that the texts reveal.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The seminars will make use of a number of teaching and learning methods, including: short presentations by the tutor, exercises in groups, informal presentations by students, and plenary discussions. Students will be set reading to complete before the session and they will be expected to bring their own reflections to bear on the exercises and discussion. 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

6 x 2 hours
Individual tutorials
Contact hours: 20 minutes per student
Number of Groups: 1

Assessment: