HIS-30126 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

Do you want to explore private lives and public scandals? The popular image of the Victorian period in Britain is often one of a fear of sex and a sharp separation of the roles of men and women. While there is some truth in this picture the reality was more complicated and intriguing. The nineteenth century saw the rise of sexological science that began to classify people according to their sexual tastes. Public life was, meanwhile, beset with controversies over adultery and prostitution. At the end of the century the trials of Oscar Wilde drew public attention to the issue of homosexuality. In this module we will be exploring the ways in which disputes over gender and sexuality can take us to the core of understanding many of the social and cultural tensions that make the study of the Victorian period so complex and fascinating.

To consider and appreciate the changing ways that gender and sexuality were perceived in Britain during the Victorian period.

Intended Learning Outcomes

analyse the ways in which understandings of gender and sexuality evolved during the Victorian period in Britain: 1,2
consider and compare the ways in which scientific knowledge differed from popular opinion and how both can be understood in relation to contemporary prejudices: 2
evaluate the ways in which constructions of gender and sexuality interacted with notions of imperial Britishness: 2
demonstrate sustained engagement with textual and visual primary sources and be able to interpret these with reference to scholarly secondary discussions: 1

Study hours

24 hours seminars, 48 hours seminar preparation, 39 hours essay preparation and writing, 39 source criticism preparation and writing

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment