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Refinement and Rakishness. Polite society in eighteenth-century Britain (U03998)

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

Historians of eighteenth-century Britain often use the term ‘polite’ to refer to elite society and culture. But what exactly was polite society? Was it really what we would think of as ‘polite’? This course explores the social world of the men and women of the eighteenth-century British gentry and nobility through a range of primary and secondary sources ranging from novels through personal memoirs to the built environment. It examines the ways in which the ‘polite’ chose to define themselves through their adoption of ‘refined’ manners and activities. Yet it also asks what life was really like for the eighteenth-century elite, how they really behaved, and how their experiences were mediated by age, gender, social status and geographical location. Students will investigate such topics as: social spaces like the coffee house and pleasure garden; the urban environment (e.g., the Edinburgh New Town); education and childhood; social relations; manners and language; books, periodicals and reading; shopping, possessions and display; and domestic and Continental tourism.

? Keywords : Britain – eighteenth-century – polite society – elites – culture – gender - sociability

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass in any first level historical course or equivalent and any second level historical course or equivalent.

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 : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	14:00	15:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate, by means of essay and examination:
• knowledge of the culture and society of the eighteenth-century British elite
• an understanding of the historiography of this area
• the ability to present a written structured and coherent argument supported by primary and secondary evidence

Through participation in seminars, they should be able to improve:

• their oral presentation skills
• their ability to process and respond to the arguments of others
• their ability to critically evaluate a range of eighteenth-century primary sources, from newspaper essays, novels, pamphlets, and memoirs to visual sources

Preparation for seminars and assessed work will encourage the development of:
• transferable IT skills in order to access many of these sources
• transferable time-management skills in order to produce essays and presentations to a deadline

Assessment Information

Students will submit one 3000 word essay in week 10 of semester, and sit a 2 hour exam in the May examinations diet. The essay will be worth 25% of the final assessment, and the exam worth 75%.