Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 Hours. 10 x 2 hour lectures, which will include discussions with students. |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 3,000 word research essay | 50% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Unseen written examination | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | Resit on condoned (medical) grounds | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Critically evaluate a range of theoretical and empirical writings on the geographies of landscape, modernity and Britishness.
Discuss the geographies of a range of key sites, experiences and subject-positions associated with British modernity in the twentieth century.
Critically evaluate the geographies which are effaced or excluded within prevailing discourses of British modernity.
Demonstrate their competence in undertaking independent research, and constructing a written argument through the completion of an essay and examination.
Critically evaluate a range of written, visual and aural source materials; discussing the significance of these sources with their peers and communicating their views to the class.
Content
- Introduction: Landscape, modernity and national identity.
- Landscapes of British modernity before 1900.
- 'Metroland': the Underground and the growth of suburban London.
- Modernism, planning and 'preservation', 1918-1939.
- 'Guide book Britain': leisure, landscape and citizenship, 1918-1970.
- War and reconstruction: from bomb sites to new towns, 1939-1970
- Countering British modernity 1: Britishness, dissidence and exclusion.
- Countering British modernity 2: 'Anti-modern' sentiments.
- Postmodern landscapes: Britain, 1970-Now
Brief description
In this course students will examine the cultural and historical geographies of landscapes of modernity in twentieth century Britain. The module will start with an introduction to contemporary geographical writings on 'landscape', 'modernity', and British national identities, before tracing the geographies of specific sites and subject-positions which have been associated with modern life in twentieth century Britain. Specific lectures will focus on: sites of British modernity before 1900; the expansion of suburbia; the links between countryside preservation and modern planning between the wars; the expansion of leisure and the 'writing' of the landscape through guidebooks; cultures of landscape during World War Two; and the reconstruction of post-war Britain. The module aims to show how particular understandings of Britishness and British modernity (and their common equation with Englishness) have continually been challenged and resisted in different periods through the cultural activities of Welsh, Scottish and Irish subjects. The module will examine various counter-modern practices and sites, from the emergence of 'anti-modern' sentiments associated with particular conservation, organic, environmental and architectural movements, to the geographies of groups who are frequently excluded from hegemonic accounts of Britishness - such as ethnic minority groups, the young, homosexuals, new age travellers, other nationals, and subjects of empire. The final lecture will examine the geographies of 'sites' and 'sensibilities' which have frequently been associated with 'postmodern' geographies, whether they be heritage museums, motorways, airports or shopping centres.
Aims
This new module is designed to widen the range of option modules available to human geography students at Level 3. The module reflects the current research interests of Peter Merriman, who is a new member of academic staff. It also reflects the broader research and teaching themes of other members of the Historical and Cultural Geography Research Group.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Students may draw upon and analyse numerical information in their assessed essays. |
| Communication | The module will help students to develop their written and oral communication skills. Class discussions will enable students to develop their oral communication skills, and the assessed essay and examination will enable students to practice and enhance their written communication skills. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Student attendance and participation in the lectures, and their undertaking of an assessed essay, will help them to enhance a range of learning skills. The module requires students to undertake sixty hours of self-directed study. |
| Information Technology | The assessed essay requires students to undertake independent research using bibliographic search-engines and library catalogues. The module will enable students to enhance their research skills and practise their IT skills when writing the essay. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The module will help students to develop key transferable skills, in addition to raising important questions about the histories and geographies of Britain which will help them to think about their role as citizens within society. The course discusses themes which will be invaluable for students wishing to undertake postgraduate study in geography. |
| Problem solving | The module will develop students' problem-solving skills in a number of ways. Students will be required to discuss and analyse a range of visual texts, and to complete small problem-solving exercises during the lectures. Students will also have to address problems associated with research design when undertaking their assessed essay. |
| Research skills | Students are required to undertake independent research for their essay which will draw upon and enhance skills they have developed in previous modules. Further research skills will be developed through class-based discussions and problem-solving exercises and further reading they undertake. |
| Subject Specific Skills | The module will enable students to practice subject-specific skills which they have developed in years one and two, including techniques for analyzing historical and cultural texts. Students will develop their analytical skills through class-based discussions and in their assessed essay and examination. |
| Team work | The lectures will include class-based problem-solving exercises and discussions which will provide opportunities for students to develop team-working skills and discuss their thoughts with the class. |
Reading List
Recommended TextConekin, B., Mort, F. and Waters, C. (eds.) (1999) Moments of Modernity: Reconstructing Britain 1945-1964 London: Rivers Oram Press Primo search Daniels, S. (1993) Fields of vision: landscapes and national identity in England and the United States Polity: Cambridge Primo search Fevre, R. and Thompson, A. (eds.) (1999) Nation, identity and social theory: perspectives from Wales Cardiff: University of Wales Press Primo search Liniado, M. (1996) Car culture and countryside change, Cirencester: The National Trust. Primo search Matleess, D. (1998) Landscapes and Englishness Primo search McKay, G. (1996) Senseless acts of beauty Verso: London Primo search Ogborn, M. (1998) Spaces of Modernity: London¿s Geographies 1680-1780 Guildford Press: London Primo search Samuel, R. (1998) Island stories: unravelling Britain. Theatres of memory, volume 2. Volume 2 Verso: London Primo search Samuel, R. Theatres of memory. Volume 1 Verso: London Primo search Samuel, R. (ed.) (1989) Patriotism: the making and unmaking of British national identit 3 volumes; vol. 1: history and politics; vol. 2: minorities and outsiders; vol. 3: national fictions London, Routledge Primo search Schivelbusch, W (1978) The railway journey: the industrialisation of time and space in the 19th century Blackwell (Oxford) Primo search Short, B., Gilbert, D. and Matless, D. (eds.) (2003) Geographies of British modernity Blackwell (Oxford) Primo search Wright, P. (1985) On living in an old country: the national past in contemporary Britain Verso: London Primo search
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6