The Body in History

• • Introduction.
  • The invention of the asylum: prison and the treatment of the insane
  • The dangers of the city - cleanliness and polution
  • Anatomy to surgery
  • Skin in history
  • Sexing the body
  • Death and memorialisation
  • Eugenics and genetics
  • Bodies on display: science, museums and bodies
  • Childhood: sexuality and morality

• Study resources

  • Instructional methods

    • Discussion forum/Discussion Board
    • Online assignment submission
    • Podcasting/Lecture capture

  • Online materials

    • Resources and Links
    • Printable format materials
    • FAQs
    • Quizzes

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.

Special requirements

No special 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 and zombies.

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