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, and websites such as FriendsReunited and Facebook highlight the centrality of friendship in the modern world, but of course it 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 past societies, using two parallel methods of analysis. First, we will examine a number of case-studies covering a diverse range of historical periods (ancient, medieval and modern). Second, we will evaluate various methodologies used in related disciplines (e.g. philosophy, social anthropology, sociology) and 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.
1 x 24 hour seen exam
Allen, Graham, Friendship: Developing a Sociological Perspective (1989)
Brain, Robert, Friends and Lovers (1976)
Bray, Alan, The Friend (2003)
Caine, Caine (Ed.), Friendship: A History (2008) – [also available as an e-book] (2009)
Pahl, Ray, On Friendship (2000)
Zeldin, Theodore, An Intimate History of Humanity (1995)