HS2P76-Period in Modern History: Birth Control, the history of an idea: from Malthus to Marie Stopes
Module Provider: History
Number of credits: 20 [10ECTS credits]
Terms in which taught: Autumn
Module Convenor: Dr
D
Stack
Pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Module version for: 2008/9
Email: d.a.stack@reading.ac.uk
Aims:
Periods involve the study of substantial chronological periods (c. 150 years or more). They aim to acquaint students with the causes and consequences of continuity and change over the long term in the political, social, economic and cultural systems under study. This Period will study the changing intellectual understanding of birth control in the period from the French Revolution through to the inter-war period.
Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to:
Additional outcomes:
The module also aims to encourage the development of oral communication skills and the student's effectiveness in group situations. Students will also develop their IT skills by use of relevant web resources.
Outline content:
This course will explore the changing understanding of birth control across the period from the French Revolution through to the 1920s in Britain. The focus will be on the changing intellectual and cultural context in which birth control was problematised and propagated. The course will begin an explanation of the political, theological, and philosophical background to Malthus' Essay on the principle of population (1798) and proceed to examine the changing basis on which men and women subsequently advocated, or opposed, birth control. Case studies will be made of the utilitarian advocates of birth control, led by Jeremy Bentham and J. S. Mill, and the secularist campaigners of the 1870s, led by Annie Besant and Charles Bradlaugh. Other subjects studied will include the complex relationship between birth control and the medical profession in the Victorian era and the impact of Darwinism on the definition of the 'population problem', especially the growth of a eugenic understanding. The course will culminate in a critical appraisal of the work of Marie Stopes and her birth control literature of the 1920s.
Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Seminars, requiring preparatory reading and investigation, may include informal and interactive presentations by the module teacher; structured group discussion; short seminar papers by students; occasional tutorials; team-based simulation exercises and debates; examination of primary and secondary sources. Students are expected to carry out self-directed revision in the Summer term. Staff will be available for consultation as necessary
Contact hours:
| Autumn or Spring | Summer | ||
| Lectures | |||
| Tutorials/seminars | 30 | ||
| Practicals | |||
| Other contact (eg study visits) | |||
| Total hours | 30 | ||
| Number of essays or assignments | 1 | ||
| Other (eg major seminar paper) | see above |
Assessment:
Coursework
Students will be required to write one essay of 2,500 words.
Relative percentage of coursework: 33%
Penalties for late submission
Penalties for late submission of course work will be in accordance with University policy.
Examinations
One two-hour paper requiring two answers to be taken at the time of the Part 2 examinations.
Requirements for a pass
A mark of 40% overall.
Reassessment arrangements
Re-examination in September. Coursework will be carried forward if it bears a confirmed mark of 40% or more. Otherwise it must be resubmitted by 1 September.