Society in an Age of 'Mass' Leisure C.1880-1939 (ES0013)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-SocMass

This course is taught through nine 1.5 hour lectures and eight 1.5 hour tutorial sessions. The course seeks to examine developments in leisure, in particular changes and continuities in the extent of free time and the manner in which it was utilised. Such changes were conditioned by broader economic, social and cultural influences. The relationship between these various forces are examined here within a British context. Covering the period from the late-nineteenth century to the outbreak of the Second World War, the course also uses leisure as a way into examining many of the forces shaping society in a period of unprecedented change. Particular attention is paid to the impact of class, age, and gender, along with distinctions based on regional and national identities. The problems posed by the creation of a 'mass' leisure market provides a major theme of the course, taking in such concerns as perceived 'hooligan' behaviour among the young and football crowds, and the incipient threat which the films of Hollywood were seen to pose to 'national' culture. Such concerns will be analysed alongside the study of more informal recreational pursuits, locating leisure firmly within the everyday culture of family and neighbourhood.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Visiting students should normally have 3 to 4 History courses at Grade B or above.

? Prohibited combinations : May not be taken together with 'Leisure and Society in Britain, c.1780-1939'.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Economic and Social History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 9 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	11:10	13:00	Room G.04, William Robertson Building	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	11:10	13:00	Central
Lecture	Thursday	11:10	13:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Sessions run 11.30am-1pm, not standard University teaching period.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

- To develop students' appreciation of the diversity of sources available to historians, and to encourage a critical evaluation of their uses in promoting an understanding of the role of leisure within society.
- To promote an appreciation of many of the sources of change and continuity in British society in this period.
- To encourage a critical awareness of the theories, methodologies, and concepts utilised by historians, sociologists, and economists to explain developments in leisure patterns, and how they relate to the broader processes of economic and social change.
- To enable students to comment intelligently on, among other things, the impact of the corset on women's leisure activities and the rationality, or otherwise, of the popular gambling habit.
- Student-led seminars are intended to develop the presentation and verbal skills of participating students.
- Written assignments are intended to develop the literary skills of students and their ability to construct coherent argument and analysis.

Assessment Information

One document-based exercise and one essay of approximately 3,000 words. Assessed work to count for 25% (document based exercise 5%, essay 20%) of the final mark. One two hour degree exam to count for 75% of the final mark.