The Body in History

• • Introduction
  • Anatomy to surgery
  • The invention of the asylum: prison and the treatment of the insane
  • Skin in history
  • Sexing the body
  • Dangers of the city
  • Punishing the body
  • Death and modern life
  • Eugenics
  • Bodies on display: science, museums and bodies

Others

Note: Level 2 subjects normally assume an introductory level of prior knowledge in this area, e.g. from studying related Level 1 subjects or other relevant experience.

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

This subject focuses on the history of the body since the mid eighteenth century. We will look at why physical and mental health have been the concerns of governments, how different populations have been identified as 'fit' or unfit', and the way in which gender, sexuality and 'race' have shaped public understandings of a variety of bodies and subjects. The subject covers diverse representations of 'the body' as an ideal and its relationship to actual bodies in modern history, from public health to sex education and psychiatry, and from femininity to sanitation.

• Online Discussion (15%)
• Review an Essay (15%)
• Draft Plan — For Essay (15%)
• Research Essay (55%)