VIC7083 - Victorian Identities: Social Movements and Meanings

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical understanding of selected identities in Victorian Britain, including a critical understanding of relevant trends and developments;
demonstrate an advanced critical understanding of the theoretical approaches and historiography appropriate to the study of a particular aspect of identity in the Victorian period;
apply advanced literary, cultural or historical theories and advanced research methodologies as appropriate, to analyse selected primary sources reflecting the construction of Victorian identities;
make productive use of appropriate collections, museums, electronic archives or physical archives to conduct research;
demonstrate self-direction and critical independence in a sophisticated written argument that uses a suitably wide range of illustrations or historical evidence for a 6,000-word essay (for example in the form of documents, literature, art, illustrations and photographs), and engages with critical debates.

Content:

This module will engage students in an understanding of constructions of identity in the Victorian period, and in gaining awareness of how these related to relevant trends and developments. It investigates Victorian identities as defined by contemporary ideals and experiences of e.g. gender and sexual morality, ‘race’, (dis)ability, age, religion or region. A particular aspect of identity will be chosen as the focus each year, drawing on staff expertise: e.g. gender and sexual morality, (exploring definitions of femininity and masculinity during the Victorian period; consideration of socially constructed ideals such as the ‘double standard’ and ‘domestic ideology’; and medicalised and charitable conceptions of the ‘norm’); imperialism (including the ideological and cultural context for the formation of Victorian constructions of ‘race’; Victorian Imperialism at home, in the Empire and the wider ‘Anglobalized’ World; and the material culture that the British Empire has left behind); the representation of childhood in literature and art; Victorian concepts of nature, and the urban and rural environment; and the impact of Victorian religious belief on certain aspects of political, social and cultural life. The choice will depend on staff availablity and also take student opinion into consideration wherever possible.
Students will engage in this investigation by studying recent theoretical writings, Victorian texts and documents. Students will then develop their own interests by researching a topic of their own choice for the assignment for this module.

Learning and Teaching Information:

A variety of learning and teaching methods will be used. These include group discussions and debates based on reading and seminar questions; workshops on particular texts and theories; investigations of specific documents.
Students will also undertake independent fieldwork in local archives and museum, as appropriate to the topic: e.g. Leeds City Art Gallery, the Mercer Gallery in Harrogate, Abbey House Museum, York Railway Museum. The digital humanities will be engaged through the use of relevant digitized collections, e.g. The Disability History Museum or The Victorian Women Writers Project.
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 / workshops
Hours: 6 x 2 hours
Intended Group size: 12

Tutorials
Hours: 2 x 30 minutes per student
Intended group size: 1

Guided independent study
Hours:287

Assessment: