HSY2050

Fears and Fantasies: Deviance in History

(ART)

Mark Peel

6 points + 3 hours per week + First semester + Clayton + Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in History or permission + Prohibition: HSY3050

Synopsis: This subject will focus on different historical episodes and panics to explore conceptions of social order, deviance and threat in different contexts. Using a range of sources, the subject will examine such topics as European and American witchcraft; 'lunacy', disease, disability and the 'freak'; moral panics over sexuality, juvenile delinquency and political deviance; and criminality, punishment and incarceration. The subject will explore the role of fears and fantasies in the development of structures of power and authority, deviance as a focus for political mobilisation and protest, and the connections and differences between deviance, transgression and resistance.

Assessment: Group project (1000 words): 30% + Research essay (2500 words): 50% + Examination (1 hour): 20%