Unit information: Getting Acquainted with Friendship (Level H Reflective History) in 2016/17

Unit name	Getting Acquainted with Friendship (Level H Reflective History)
Unit code	HIST38002
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Austin
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of History (Historical Studies)
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

The success of TV series like Friends, the emergence of the ‘bromance’ film genre, and the ubiquity of social networking sites such as Facebook highlight the centrality of friendship in the world around us; for some, friends have become the new family. But of course friendship is not an exclusively modern phenomenon: it has been discussed by philosophers from antiquity onwards, and has found expression in virtually every society since.

In this unit we investigate the meaning, functions, and expression of friendship in both past and contemporary societies, using two parallel methods of analysis. First, we will examine a series of case-studies covering a wide range of historical periods (ancient, medieval and modern) in order to understand what friendship meant in those different contexts. Secondly, we will evaluate a range of methodologies used in different academic disciplines (e.g. philosophy, social anthropology, sociology, literary and film studies) and consider the extent to which they can aid our understanding of friendship in earlier centuries. More broadly, we will consider the extent to which the concept has changed over time, and whether it is possible to distinguish a distinctively 'historical' approach to friendship.

Aims:

Reflective history is identified in the Subject Benchmarking Statement as an important skill. Whilst students will 'reflect' on their work in all of their units the aim of this unit will be to focus on that reflective practice and to enable students to carry it forward in conjunction with the study of the history of friendship.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Students will have a heightened understanding of the particular and unique skills that historians acquire and of the way in which they apply those skills to a specific task

• Students will be able to convey that understanding to others both in writing and through a shared group exploration

• Students will have a deeper understanding of their own individual acquisition and application of those skills. They will be aware of their own particular combination of skills and they will have a clearer understanding of the areas where skills need to be improved.

• Students will have a stronger awareness of how their skills might be applied more generally to other contexts

• At the same time, and as part of the same process, they will have gained a deeper knowledge of the history of friendship.

Teaching Information

Seminars - 2 hours per week

Assessment Information

1 x 24 hour seen exam

Reading and References

Reading List:

Bray, Alan, The Friend (2003)

Caine, Caine (Ed.), Friendship: A History (2008) [also available as an e-book] (2009)

Pahl, Ray, On Friendship (2000)

Viewing List:

Thelma and Louise (dir. Ridley Scott, 1991)

The Shawshank Redemption (dir. Frank Darabont, 1994)

Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright, 2007)