This course examines how women were supposed to look and behave in Tudor and Stuart England. While religious and social commentators modelled women as paragons of virtue in early modern society, in reality their behaviour was often far from ideal. We will consider a wide range of evidence about women behaving badly, including gossip and slander, dressing inappropriately, fighting in the street and church, fornication and adultery, even murder, to understand how gendered roles were constructed and contested by people in their daily lives. We will engage with sources such as conduct literature, court records, pamphlets, ballads and drama alongside visual and material evidence (portraits, monuments, woodcuts) to understand how women were supposed to behave and what prompted women to transgress social norms. We will also examine the gendered nature of punishment, including shaming rituals such as being forced to wear the 'scold's bridle'.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
analyse and explain key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny,
analyse and explain reasons for and implications of these events and processes (including analysis of primary evidence where appropriate)
compare and evaluate the main scholarly views on the subject under investigation, critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration
work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny
summarise, analyse and evaluate the subject material clearly and effectively in writing, synthesise and evaluate themes across a wide range of diverse material
Assessment
38760-01 : 3,000 word take home paper : Exam (School Arranged) - Written Unseen (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment:
S1 = 1 x 3,000 word essay (100%) S2 = 1 x 3,000 word Take Home Examination (100%) Reassessment: