Gender, Power and Identity in Early Modern England

Module title	Gender, Power and Identity in Early Modern England
Module code	HIC3313
Academic year	2019/0
Credits	30
Module staff	Dr Nicola Whyte (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	48

Module description

This module provides students with an opportunity to investigate the meanings and construction of gender in historical context: not just biological difference but also the social meanings attached to that difference. As well as investigating the lives and experiences of women, the module engages with the most recent research on sexuality, masculinity and gender as a key component in early modern power relations. It is concerned with contrasting the myths about gender relations in this period with a close understanding of the documented experiences of the lives of men and women. This module is concerned throughout with the ways historical lines of enquiry have developed over time and how old assumptions are modified in light of new theoretical and methodological developments.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to do two things. First, it provides an introduction to the study of gender relations and how the experiences of men and women relate to broader debates about the social, economic, cultural and political changes taking place in the early modern period. Second, the module is designed to ensure that students acquire a firm grasp of academic skills, techniques and concepts in order to develop their skills as independent researchers and critical thinkers.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. display a core knowledge of gender relations in the early modern period, linked to key themes
2. demonstrate critical awareness of the historiography of the period
3. bring primary evidence to bear on their interpretations of secondary arguments about gender relations and social and cultural change

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

4. analyse and reflect critically and contextually upon historical texts relating to a specific historical period or theme
5. collate data from a range of sources, both primary and secondary
6. with limited guidance, understand and deploy historical terminology in a comprehensible manner
7. handle different approaches to history in areas of controversy and work with a range of primary sources

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

Syllabus plan

Through a sequence of linked seminars and lectures you will investigate some of the following themes and issues:

Ideas and laws regarding women
Meanings of masculinity and femininity
The patriarchal state
Household, family and the lifecycle
Women, work and the household economy
Sexuality and the body
Crime and gender
Religion and witchcraft
Gender and popular politics
Questions of agency

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
33	267	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	11	lectures
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	22	Seminars
Guided independent study	267	Private study and lecture and seminar preparation

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay Plan	500 words	2,3,4,5,6,7	Verbal feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Themed project part 1: Individual written assignment	40	2500 words	1-7, 10	Written (coversheet)
Themed project part 2: Conference panel group presentation and discussion	10	10 minutes per student in the group, and 10 minutes for the group led discussion	1,2,6,8,9	Immediate oral feedback from tutor(s) and written feedback
Written essay	50	2500 words	1-7, 10	Written (coversheet)

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Themed project part 1: Individual written assignment	Themed project part 1: Individual written assignment	1-7, 10	Referral/deferral period
Themed project part 2: Conference panel group presentation and discussion	Gobbet assignment (1000 words)	1-5, 6, 10	Referral/deferral period
Written essay	Written essay	1-7, 10	Referral/deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Amanda Flather, Gender and Space in Early Modern England (Boydell, 2007)
A. Fletcher, Gender, Sex and Subordination in England, 1500-1800 (1995)
Sara Mendelson and Patricia Crawford Women in Early Modern England 1550-1720 (Oxford, 1998)
Alex Shepard, Meanings of Manhood in early Modern England (Oxford, 2003)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7725
EEBO
JSTOR
Project Muse

Key words search

Gender, patriarchy, early modern, social relations, popular culture, community, identity, power, politics

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	26/01/2018
Last revision date	14/03/2019