Unit name | Getting Acquainted with Friendship (Level H Reflective History) |
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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 |
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.
Seminars - 2 hours per week
1 x 24 hour seen exam
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)