- UCAS course code
- VT33
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Madness and Society
| Unit code | HSTM40332 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 3 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This unit introduces you to the social, cultural, intellectual and institutional history of madness, psychiatry and mental health. Through lectures, seminars and reading a combination of primary sources and secondary analyses, you will gain an appreciation of:
- How mental illness has been understood, by experts and by everyday people
- How mental illness has been managed, socially and institutionally
- How science, medicine, and culture have interacted in shaping responses to mental illness
Our focus is primarily on the period 1780 to the present, and primarily on the UK, but with some discussion of Western Europe and North America.
Aims
This unit explores the history of mental illness and psychiatry from the late eighteenth century to the present. It examines how insanity has been understood, treated, and represented within larger social, cultural, and intellectual frameworks. It also relates changing ideas and approaches to mental illness, health, and functioning to larger questions in the history of the medical and biological sciences.
Syllabus
Assessment methods
1. 1000 word essay (25%)
2. Exam (25%)
3. 3000 word project report (50%)
Feedback methods
Students will receive individual feedback on all of their written assignments as well as general feedback given to the whole class.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Assessment written exam | 2 |
| Lectures | 12 |
| Seminars | 12 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 174 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Carsten Timmermann | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes