Making Men: The History of British Masculinity, c. 1700-1900

This course examines the history of masculinity in Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Students will be introduced to key concepts and debates within the history of masculinity and gender and will consider how different sources and approaches have led historians to draw very different conclusions about the nature of British masculinity in different periods. By exploring two of these periods together, this course will identify the changes and continuities in how masculinity was idealised, critiqued, formed and experienced in Britain. Using a wide range of sources, from conduct books, novels and private correspondence to caricatures and clothing, the course is divided into four key themes that will consider: the types and ideals of masculinity within societal discourses; how performances and concepts of manhood altered throughout men¿s life cycles; the relationship between different cultural trends and masculinity; and how cultures and experiences of masculinity were shaped by intersecting factors such as social status, race, and sexuality. Overall, the course will demonstrate how to interrogate primary sources through the lens of gender, and the importance of gender as a category of analysis when investigating the social, cultural and political histories of a country and period.   Credit level: 10 Year taken: Year 4 Undergraduate SCQF level: 40  

Not running in 2025/26