GSC2509

Hearth and home: family life in the United States and the United Kingdom, 1850- 1990s

Keith Wilson

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester
* Gippsland and distance
* Prerequisites: GSC1503 and GSC1504 or equivalents

Objectives On successful completion of this subject students should be familiar with the significant debates associated with the history of the family in the UK and the USA, and have developed an understanding of the way family life in the UK and USA has been influenced by major political and socio-economic forces in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Synopsis `Hearth and home' is a comparative history subject that examines family life in the United Kingdom and the United States during a formative period in the creation of the modern world, namely 1850 to the 1990s. The subject has three parts. In `Part I Introduction' the family unit is defined and family heritage discussed. In `Part II Families in new industrial age 1850- 1945' three areas are discussed, namely the impact of the industrial revolution, UK family migration to the USA, war and nationalism. `Part III Families in the modern age of mass consumption, 1945-1990s' discusses major forces that influence the structure and function of the modern family, namely the changing nature of work, changing gender roles and changing cultural values.

Assessment Tutorial paper including oral presentation (300 words) and written presentation (1200 words): 25%
* Essay (1500 words): 25%
* Research essay (3000 words): 50%

Prescribed texts

To be advised