Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Adv Option: Feeling Politics in 20th Century Britain: Emotions and Politics in Britain From the Stiff Upper Lip to :)
School	History and Cultures
Department	History
Module Code	09 39784
Module Lead	Dr Christopher Moores
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	This module introduces you to a relatively new area of twentieth century British political history: the emotions. The module aims to understand why historians have started to see the emotions as a crucial way of understanding past politics and what this means for our understanding of both politics and emotions. The module will assess how the emotional experience of two world wars shaped British political settlements, the connections between politics and masculinity in political parties, the emotional relationships embedded in the culture of empire and postcolonial Britain, the ways in which the state began to legislate to limit ‘hate’, how new social movements mobilized via new political languages in the later twentieth century, and seeks to help us understand how emotional wellbeing became a political category, the implications of such a development and what it means to live in the age of the Emoji. 😵‍💫
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
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment If the module runs in Semester 1: 1 x 3,000 word essay (100%) If the module runs in Semester 2: 1 x 3,000 word Take Home Examination (100%) Method of Reassessment Resubmit failed component
Other
Reading List