To explore histories of health, medicine and the body in modern America through different human experiences and from various critical perspectives;

To introduce students to a rich selection of theories, debates, and evidence used in the historiography of American health, medicine and the body;

To develop students' ability to present and organise informed and reflective oral and written arguments.

(LO1) An ability to read, analyse and reflect critically and contextually upon secondary evidence, including historical writings and the interpretations of historians.

(LO2) An understanding of the development of history as a discipline and anawareness of different historical methodologies.

(LO3) To developan understanding of significant issues in the histories and historiography ofAmerican bodies, health and medicine.

(S1) Confidence, independence of mind, responsibility, organisation and time-management.

(S2) The ability to work collaboratively and to participate in group discussion

(S3) Gathering, analysing and organising information, including online and digital resources.

(S4) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of oral expression.

(S5) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of written expression

The lecture meetings (eleven one hour lectures) offer a thematic overview of bodies, health and medicine in American history from the late 18th / early 19th century through to the early 20th century – arguably an era in which medicine became modern and gained professional sovereignty. Subjects covered may include:

Midwifery;

The rise of gynaecology and obstetrics;

Medicine under slavery;

Health and medicine during the Civil War;

Popular cures and alternative medicines;

The medical policing of immigrants and prostitutes;

Eugenics; and 20th century human experiments;

Working with visual documents and case narratives, newspaper reports and advertisements, institutional records and ego-documents.

Seminars (five, two-hour meetings) focus on group discussion and analysis of core elements of the module that may include:

Professionalization and its impact on patient experiences;

Changing attitudes to gender, race, se xuality and disability;

Medical surveillance and human experimentation.
Students come to the seminar prepared to discuss key readings and samples of sources related to the topic in question. Presentations are organized at the beginning of the module and assessed in the seminar meetings.

Lecture:
Eleven, one-hour lectures. The lectures provide a framework for the module, introduce the main themes, concepts and historical debates, and provide the context for the in-depth discussions in the seminars.

Seminar:
Five, two-hour seminars. These focus on detailed group analysis of key aspects of the module, and hear and discuss assessed presentations by the students.

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.