In 1856, Charles Darwin wrote in a letter to a friend, ‘What a book a Devil’s chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering low & horridly cruel works of nature!’ With the publication of The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin made it clear that he counted humanity as just another ‘low’ product of nature. Darwin was not the first theorist of evolution, but he was undoubtedly the most influential, and in the wake of his revolution friends and foes alike sought to work out the distinctively human constituents of identity. This module examines debates on human nature in Britain from the 1870s until c. 1900, with particular emphasis on the interrelation of self and society, the disciplinary organization of new ways of apprehending ‘human nature’, and how individuals created their own self-understandings against, within, and out of these discourses on human identity. The evolutionary paradigm overlaid and interacted with older visions of human nature. Views of human nature which emphasized the animal or “primitive” within provoked intense anxieties about the future of nation, empire, and “civilization” itself, but also provided the spur for utopian re-imaginings of self and society which emphasized human power to control nature and direct change. Over the late nineteenth century, massive political, social and cultural change, including the gradual extension of the franchise and the growth of mass culture prompted continual re-evaluation of the problems of ‘being human’, from the rights and responsibilities of democratic citizens to the fragmentation of individuality in mass culture. The module examines debates about human nature within the context of these wider changes, and draws on a range of primary source material, including scientific texts, social surveys, and novels to illuminate constructions of human identity, ways of making the self, and imaginings of a new world.

·       demonstrate a broad and systematic knowledge of debates on human nature in Britain between the 1870s and c. 1900;

·       express your ideas on and assessments of the political, social and cultural importance of different concepts of human nature and the development of the human sciences in Britain over the same period;;

·       identify strengths, weaknesses, problems, and/or peculiarities of alternative historical/ historiographical interpretations;

·       demonstrate an awareness of a range of relevant primary sources and an appreciation of how historians have approached them.

·       identify the nature and scope of the issues raised by the history of Darwinian and post-Darwinian approaches to identity, particularly their implications for different ways of imagining the relationship between the individual and society;

·       evaluate the interrelation of intellectual, social, and political change in representations and experiences of self and subjectivity;

·       demonstrate an in-depth and critical understanding of concepts ofrace, class, gender, subjectivity, and reflexivity, and how these concepts have been deployed in historical and historiographical writing on changing approaches to understanding ‘human nature’;

·       analyse key themes and issues in the political, social and cultural history of Britain between the 1870s and c. 1900 in the light of these ideas, contexts, and frameworks;

·       summarise and critically evaluate the relative merits and demerits of alternative views and interpretations about representations, experiences, and constructions of identity in Britain  during this period, and evaluate their significance;

·       assess how knowledge about ‘being human’ was created, disseminated, and represented in a range of forums such as scientific texts, psychological writings, social surveys,  and novels throughout the period;

·       identify problems, assess evidence, and reach independent conclusions on the importance of debates about human nature within modern British history;

·       demonstrate a critical understanding of the potentialities and problems of researching and writing the history ofideas about human nature and the human sciences.

A range of teaching methods will be used in each of the sessions of the course, comprising a combination of lectures and seminar discussion of major issues. The syllabus is divided into a series of major course themes, then sub-divided into principal topics for the study of each theme.

Lectures:

The aim of the lectures is to provide a brief introduction to a particular topic, establishing the salient features of major course themes, identifying key issues and providing historiographical guidance. The lectures aim to provide a basic framework for understanding and should be thought of as useful starting points for further discussion and individual study. Where appropriate, handouts and other materials may be distributed to reinforce the material discussed.

Seminars:

The primary aim of seminars will be to generate debate and discussion amongst course participants. Seminars for each of the course topics will provide an opportunity for students to analyse and further discuss key issues and topics relating to lectures.

• communicate ideas and arguments effectively, whether in class discussion or in written form, in an accurate, succinct and lucid manner.
• formulate and justify arguments and conclusions about a range of issues, and present appropriate supporting evidence
• an ability to modify as well as to defend their own position.
• an  ability to think critically and challenge assumptions
• an ability to use a range of information technology resources to assist with information retrieval and assignment presentation.
• time management skills and an ability to independently organise their own study methods and workload.
• work effectively with others as part of a team or group in seminar or tutorial discussions.   

There will be an opportunity for formative assessment.

Summative assessment takes the form of one 3,000 and 4,000 word essay (excluding empirical appendices and references).

The opportunity for reassessment in this module

No reassessment.

The module will cover a wide range of topics which explore constructions of human nature in different scientific, political, social and cultural contexts. Potential topics include:

-        Darwinian theories of evolution;

-        Constructions of British national identity;

-        The ‘science’ of race;

-        The cultural influence of theories of degeneration;

-        Marxist and socialist approaches to human nature;

-        Democracy and crowd psychology;

-        The rise of the human sciences (including anthropology, sociology and psychology);

-        Feminism and gender relations.

Please note that not all topics will be covered each year.

Please see Background Reading List for an indicative list.

Indicative Reading and Resource List:

L. Bland, Banishing the Beast: English Feminism and Sexual Morality (London: Penguin, 1995).

A. Desmond and J.R. Moore, Darwin (Penguin: London, 1992).

J. Harris, Private Lives, Public Spirit: Britain, 1870-1914 (London: Penguin, 1992).

D. Pick, Faces of Degeneration: A European Disorder, c.1848 - c.1918 (Cambridge: C.U.P., 1989).

G.R. Searle, A New England? Peace and War 1886-1918 (Oxford and New York: O.U.P., 2004).