Course Resources Archive

This module has a dual purpose: to gain an understanding of how the Victorians perceived themselves and their environments; and secondly to explore how perceptions of the Victorians and their values have changed over time.

This module examines social and cultural change in nineteenth-century Britain and places emphasis on class, culture and religion as sites of conflict and contestation in the construction of identities.

The module begins by exploring issues of class against the background of key transitions, transformations and upheavals in the early Victorian period. Students will examine topics which may include: the Industrial Revolution; the growth of the city; the Great Reform Act (1832); and the Poor Law Amendment Act (1834).

The module then progresses to explore the culture and leisure world of the mid-Victorians as it splintered along class lines. Topics studied may include: the decline of customary past-times as industrialization and urbanization encroached on available leisure space; the emergence of the concept of rational recreation and the attempt to dispense rational recreation to the working-classes; and working-class culture, including sport and the Music Hall.

Finally, the module moves on to explore the role of religion in an industrializing society and debates whether Christianity remained a vital part of Victorian identities, practices and cultures. Topics studied may include: the impact of biblical criticism and the publication of Essays and Reviews (1860) on Christian faith; the relationship between the Established Church and Dissent; and the representation of religious others such as Catholics, Jews and Muslims.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of industrialization and urbanization in Victorian Britain
2. Demonstrate familiarity with the historiographical debates central to an understanding of class, culture and religion in the Victorian period
3. Demonstrate an awareness of the complexity of interactions between class, culture and religion
4. Evaluate primary source materials (including texts and visual materials)
5. Analyse and interpret historical documents
6. Communicate clearly in written form and verbally

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.