Module overview
Is sex a biologically-conditioned experience that remains constant over place and time, or is sex and sexuality an ever-changing lived reality that reflects (and shapes) broader shifts within society and culture? This overarching question, fiercely debated by historians since the 1970s, is at the heart of this module which examines the turbulent history of same-sex relations of women and men. The module takes the moment of the 'invention' of homosexuality (and heterosexuality) in the late nineteenth century and considers the historical context of this moment and the significance of its impact on gay men and women through to the present. You will survey case-studies ranging from the Ancient World through to the contemporary, drawing together Biblical and artistic sources, criminal records, diaries, and published reports amongst others to compare understandings of same-sex relations in different eras and cultural contexts. This is a chronologically and culturally wide-ranging module, which challenges you to make critical judgements about the value of constructions such as ‘homosexuality' and ‘homophobia', and their place in historical discourse. Since the 1960s, the status of gay people and same-sex sexual relationships has proved one of the most controversial social issues in western society; this module takes a long view of the subject, evaluating along the way the significance of sex as marking the place of individuals within societies.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The use of the past in contemporary debates about anti-discrimination legislation.
- Different historical contexts for the development of ideas about same-sex sexual relations.
- A range of critical approaches to the historical study of same-sex sexual relations.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Explain why the history of same-sex sexual relations is so hotly contested today.
- Evaluate different historical approaches to the study of same-sex sexual relations.
- Compare different understandings of same-sex sexual relations through analysing case studies from different eras and cultural contexts.
- Make critical judgments about the value of constructions such as ‘homosexuality’ or ‘homophobia’ and their place in historical discourse.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Closely analyse a wide range of source material.
- Communicate your ideas in written form.
- Reflect on your learning and understanding across the module.
Syllabus
Indicative topics that the module may include:
Religion and Homosexuality
The Law and Homosexuality
Medicine and Homosexuality
Queer Voices
Persecution and Punishment
Gay Rights Movements
Decriminalisation
The AIDs crisis
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
Lectures introducing the key topics
Small-group seminars to discuss primary sources and secondary readings
Individual essay tutorials
Learning methods include:
Close analysis of a range of primary sources
Extensive reading of secondary and theoretical literature
Development of a learning journal to track progress on the module across the semester
Research for and production of an analytical essay
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Seminar | 12 |
Guided independent study | 125 |
Lecture | 12 |
Tutorial | 1 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
George Chauncey (1998). Gay New York.
Brian Lewis (2016). Wolfenden's Witnesses: Homosexuality in Postwar Britain.
Dan Healey (2017). Russian Homophobia from Stalin to Sochi.
Peter Ackroyd (2017). Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day.
Paul Knoebel (2017). A Gay History of India.
Assessment
Summative
Summative assessment description
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 60% |
Learning journal | 40% |
Referral
Referral assessment description
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat
Repeat assessment description
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Learning journal | 40% |
Essay | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External