Module HIST20C1: Gender and Sexuality during Britain's Long Twentieth Century

Department: History

HIST20C1: Gender and Sexuality during Britain's Long Twentieth Century

Prerequisites

• •A pass mark in at least ONE level one module in History.

Corequisites

• •None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• •None.

Aims

• To provide an overview of histories of gender and sexuality in twentieth century Britain;
• To explore the relation between normative and non-normative configurations of gender and sexuality;
• To introduce feminist and queer historical concepts and methods; and
• To contribute towards meeting the generic aims of Level 2 study in History

Content

• Few aspects of British life changed so dramatically over the twentieth century as cultures of gender and sexuality. This course provides a broad overview of those shifts. It moves from a Britain where no woman could vote to one that boasted a female Prime Minister; from a Britain that criminalized gay intimacy to one in which marriage equality became politically realizable; and from a Britain prone to viewing biological sex as destiny to one in which cherished assumptions about bodies and identities fell on multiple fronts. A central theme of the course will be the development of ideals of heterosexuality, reinforced in a variety of ways by state institutions and cultural power, but also challenged by feminist and queer social movements with alternative visions of gender and sexual relations. Since history rarely simply exchanges repression for liberation, our focus will be on shifting configurations of masculinity and femininity, of straightness and queerness, and of authority and resistance. Along the way, we’ll address how gender and sexuality intersected with class, race, locality, nationalism, empire, and multiculturalism. We’ll also consider how attention to this topic supplements or revises other ways of thinking about twentieth century British history and of Britain’s place in the world. Topics will include: female suffrage and anti-suffrage; the relations of women, men, and family life to citizenship, welfare, work, and education; the legal regulation of sexuality from the Contagious Disease Acts to Section 28; feminist and queer activism and subcultures; the advent of the AIDS crisis; and gender and sexuality’s continued relevance to the present.

Learning Outcomes

• Good empirical knowledge of core events in women’s and queer history in twentieth century Britain, including issues of reproductive and sexual rights, social and cultural life, and political participation;
• Familiarity with methodological concerns bearing on the analysis of gender and sexuality, including the gendered biases of historical records and how the histories of marginalized groups such as gay men, lesbians, and transgender people can be recovered; and
• Understanding key conceptual issues raised by the study of gender and sexuality, including the ways in which these topics have implications for all historians and the impact of political commitments on feminist and queer studies.

• • Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

• • Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods:
• lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection;
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

A mock take-home examination in Epiphany Term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University