Material and Spiritual Culture of Victorian England - MA Seminar 1 3301-KBS1BA
An MA seminar devoted to the discussion of Victorian culture and art. Part one will be devoted to the discussion of subjects dealing with broadly understood material culture, such as:
- relations between high and popular culture in 19th century,
- the form and functioning of kitsch,
- new forms of 19th c. popular culture such as toys or postcards (Christmas, holiday, WWI),
- neo-classicism in 19th c. culture,
- illustrative aspect of Victorian art, recurrent motifs,
- semantic analysis of fashion and leisure in Victorian culture.
Part two will deal with analysis of social and political thought of the epoch basing on selected texts. Subjects will include:
- Monarchy, democracy and political system: B. Disraeli i W. Gladstone, W. Bagehot,
- Victorian society, liberalism, theory of progress: J. S. Mill, J. Bentham, T. Carlyle, H. Spencer, T. Macaulay,
- Raising social conscience and campaigning for women's rights: H. Mayhew, K. Marx, J. Butler,
- Religion, science, education: J. H. Newman, Ch. Darwin, T. H. Huxley, M. Arnold,
- Role of art. And artist in society: J. Ruskin, O. Wilde.
The choice of concrete subjects will depend on the state of prior knowledge and interests of the students in the seminar.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students are able to:
- K_W04 - Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary and culture studies with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems
- K_W05 - Identify the notions and principles pertinent to intellectual property and copyright in reference to the MA thesis
Skills
Students can:
- K_U01 - Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline (literary studies, culture and religion studies) regarding the subject of the MA seminar
- K_U02 - Apply advanced research methodology within literary and culture studies and English studies, respecting ethical norms and copyright law
-K_U03 - Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to the discipline literary studies and/or culture and religion studies in reference to the subject of the seminar
-K_U04 - Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level
- K_U06 - Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project
- K_U07 - Use modern technology in the process of learning and communicating with academic teachers, colleagues, representatives of various institutions and fellow participants in classes and projects, applying various channels and techniques of communication
- K_U11 - Design one’s own development regarding the writing of the MA thesis
Competences
Students are ready to:
- K_K02 - Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development
In class discussions students acquire skills of expressing their thoughts in a clear, coherent, logical and precise manner, with the use of language which is correct grammatically, lexically and phonetically.
Assessment criteria
The preparation of MA thesis. The first year: plan, bibliography. The second year: 1st semester - one chapter, 2nd semester - the complete thesis.
Bibliography
Primary sources - exceprts from texts by above-mentioned authors.
Secondary sources (examples):
1. Banach, Andrzej, O kiczu. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, 1968.
2. Briggs, Asa, Victorian Things. Sutton History Classics.
3. Hillier, Bevis, Greetings from Christmas Past. London: Herbert Press, 1982.
4. Houghton, Walter E., The Victorian Frame of Mind. New Haven and London: Yale U.P., 1976.
5. Flanders, Judith, The Victorian House. London: Harper Collins Press, 2003.
6. Mitchell, Sally, Daily Life in Victorian England. London: Greenwood Press, 1996.
7. Picard, Lisa, Victorian London: the Tale of a City 1840-1870. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006.
8. Sweet, Matthew, Inventing the Victorians. London: Faber and Faber, 2001.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: