Britain and America in the Eighteenth Century: Material and Visual Cultures (P01245)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HCA-P-BAECMVC

This course provides an introduction to the material and visual cultures of the past through a comparative investigation of selected themes for Britain and America in the eighteenth century. The course introduces students to key theories and methodological issues in material and visual culture studies, explored through a period that witnessed a remarkable transformation within the world of goods and images, and generated contemporary debate over the meaning, the morality and the politics of the material. Teaching (over 11 sessions) comprises a short lecture followed by a seminar discussion based on set texts. Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of material objects and visual images with the historical context. Themes include theory and methodology of material culture; the consumer revolution in the 18th century; the evolving domestic interior; sacred interiors; print collecting and popular culture; collecting antiquities; artifacts and race; the politics of material culture; the meaning of landscape.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate (School of History and Classics), (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 1 hour(s) 30 minutes per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the material and visual cultures of eighteenth century Britain and America, at a level that provides a foundation for future independent research. In particular, the course seeks:

-to provide a foundation awareness of the theoretical and methodological issues that underpin the study of material and visual cultures of past times.
-to provide an introduction to the types of sources that are used in such studies, including, in particular, material and visual sources.
-to encourage the student's ability to read and contextualize challenging research-based texts.
-to provide an opportunity for small group discussion, including the ability to direct such discussion.
-to enable students to make effective use of library and IT resources.
-to provide an opportunity for a sustained piece of critical writing on a theme arising from the course.
-to facilitate the transition towards in-depth research in the field for those students who wish to undertake a dissertation on some aspect of eighteenth century material and visual cultures.