Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Back to the Future – Hidden Histories and Utopian Possibilities, 1800-present
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Modern Languages
Module Code	09 34928
Module Lead	Isobel Palmer
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	It is a truism that history is written by the victors – however, recent attempts to decolonise and expand the curriculum are questioning that very assumption and practice. This course introduces students to important events and ideas that have been excluded from the historical canon and provides them with theoretical and methodological tools to analyse their cultural legacy and critical potential. Taught by colleagues from across the Department, the course covers multiple disciplines and extends across times, places and identities. Based on an engagement with models of historiography and utopian theory, as well as case studies from a range of cultural and linguistic contexts, we will explore how radical movements in the past and present have used language, images, historical references, political ideas, and the imagination to address the urgent socio-political problems of their respective times and work towards the world they want to live in. Creative group work activities and a creative assignment allow students to think outside the box and develop transferable skills that are required for jobs in creative industries (e.g. film, radio, publishing, and advertising).
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the development and role of different concepts of history and utopia; show an ability to read and critically examine utopian films, texts, ideas, and political movements;/li> use gender, subjectivity, political agency, and other theoretical tools to analyse and compare case studies from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds; critically reflect on the procedural nature of creative processes and the use of creative skills as a mode of academic enquiry.
Assessment	34928-01 : Creative assignment in English : Coursework (40%) 34928-02 : 2,500 word essay in English : Coursework (60%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Assignment 1: a creative assignment in English (40% of the mark). The creative assignment has two components: 1) a piece of creative work. This should take one of the following forms: a) a text of up to 500 words (e.g., a utopian manifesto, song lyrics, a poem or another creative text); b) a podcast or video of no more than 5-7 minutes (e.g., an interview, a musical piece or sound installation, a role play); c) an image (e.g. a drawing, a political poster, a collage, or a different creative image). 2) evidence of creative research, to include: a project proposal (max. 200 words) AND a short reflective piece (max. 500 words) AND an annotated bibliography (3-5 sources). These formats will be described in more detail during class sessions. The purpose of this component is to document and reflect upon the creative research process and your chosen approach. Assignment 2: A 2500-word essay in English (60% of the mark). Reassessment: resubmission of failed component
Other
Reading List