Week 1

Introduction – overview of course and the variety of sources that are available, their reliability and how to use them.

Week 2

Society and Class – during the 19th century social class became more complex and working life more demanding, here we will have as our focus working life of the masses.

Week 3

Family – looking at sources that can help us understand family life and structure.

Week 4

Health and Hygiene – as the urban population increased the health of the population became increasingly compromised, here we look at sources that show how precarious life could be.

Week 5

Built Environment – the 19th century has become notorious for its slum housing, but there is still a huge amount of Victorian building still in use today. Here we use sources to find out about living conditions.

Week 6

Education – during the 19th century the building blocks of today’s education system were laid down. Here we look at what sources can tell us about it’s progress.

Week 7

Travel, Transport and Communication – a time of great change and technological development, sources will help us assess the impact on the population.

Week 8

Popular Culture – it was not all work and no play. Leisure time for the masses became bid business and we shall use sources to find out exactly how the Victorians enjoyed themselves.

Week 9

Crime and Punishment – many of the Victorian prisons are still in use today, but conditions are vastly different. Using various sources we will look at attitudes towards crime and the treatment of prisoners.

Week 10

Conclusion – students will present their projects and we will have an overview of the themes and sources.