Module Information

Module Identifier
HY24620
Module Title
Exploring Nineteenth-Century Exhibitions
Academic Year
2019/2020
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminar 10 x 2 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Oral assessment  20%
Semester Assessment 4,000 word project  80%
Supplementary Assessment Oral assessment  20%
Supplementary Assessment 4,000 word project  80%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of a body of historical knowledge relating to exhibition and technology in nineteenth-century Britain

Demonstrate an understanding of a range of approaches to the study of nineteenth-century exhibitions, including the application of perspectives from other disciplines

Read, analyse and reflect critically on primary texts, both archival and printed, relating to nineteenth century scientific exhibitions.

Construct cogent historical arguments relating to nineteenth century exhibitions.

Brief description

This module will develop students’ critical awareness of historical sources and methods of research through examination of a range of sources relating to nineteenth-century exhibitions. It looks at how popular shows and exhibitions have operated as ways of classifying, domesticating and making sense of the exotic and unusual. It looks at the relationship between the historical development of the exhibition and the rise of consumer culture through the nineteenth century. Through panoramas, magic lantern shows, galleries of practical science and industrial exhibitions audiences learned how to see the alien as part of their own culture, how to understand scientific and technological progress and how to participate in commodity culture.

Aims

This module provides an introduction to nineteenth-century exhibition culture, the material culture of exhibitions and the audiences that attended them. This is a Skills module, the aim of which is to provide second year students with an opportunity to hone skills and approaches applicable to further study in history, irrespective of chronological or geographical focus.

Content

Weekly 2-hour seminars:

1. Theoretical Reflections
2. Panoramic Vision
3. Science on Show
4. How Does He Do It?
5. The Great Exhibition
6. The Architecture of Display
7. Domesticating Nature
8. Technological Sublime
9. The Art of Projection
10. Animated Photographs

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number NA
Communication Oral and written communication skills will be developed through seminars and feedback on written work. These skills will be assessed through assignments.
Improving own Learning and Performance Written work will be returned in tutorials where advice will be given regarding the improvement of research and techniques and essay writing skills
Information Technology Through the retrieval of primary and secondary works from online resources and AberLearn Blackboard and through the writing, formatting and printing of essays.
Personal Development and Career planning This module will develop oral and written skills. It will also prepare students for careers which involve the research, critical analysis and presentation of material relevant to a particular problem or set of problems
Problem solving Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area, and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays.
Research skills Students will be required to carry out research for seminars and written work.
Subject Specific Skills Develop a knowledge of, and familiarity with, a range of different sources evidencing the development of the 19th-century exhibition.
Team work Through seminar activities, including seminar leading with another student.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5