This module (and its co-requisite) will allow students to study a historical theme or area in great depth. The module will allow students to study an aspect of history in detail and gain a fuller understanding of how different types of source material inform the historical process. Like Part A, Part B will involve a detailed examination of primary as well as secondary sources, (documents, newspapers etc) both published and unpublished, and students will be tested on their ability to compare different source materials from the period under scrutiny.
Module Summary: “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it,” wrote Oscar Wilde in 1891. Less than a decade later, the Irish poet and playwright was dead, having never recovered from his prison term for gross indecency with men. This Special Subject takes up Wilde’s challenge and explores the queer history of the modern British world. It traces the evolution of identities and practices in subcultural communities, medical debates, and legal codes. It covers the politics of liberation and activism in the 1970s and 1980s and the development of modern identity categories, often grouped in the acronym LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex), and now protected, in the UK, by the 2010 Equalities Act. Ranging across Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire. It considers how colonialism shaped queer historical experience and the intersections of race, class, and gender within the worlds of sexual and gender minorities. Queer history challenges us to read between the lines and to unsettle established categories. Ultimately, the module considers how the tools and methods of queer studies can help us to rewrite the history of modern Britain.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
analyse and appraise key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny;
analyse and evaluate a wide range of relevant primary source material offering where appropriate, an explicitly comparative perspective;
critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration;
summarise and evaluate the subject material with clarity and confidence, in writing.
Assessment
37125-01 : Take home paper : Exam (School Arranged) - Written Unseen (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment: 1 x 3,000-word take home examination (100%)