Dr Deborah Toner University of Leicester
“ The module draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources to approach the subject of drinking from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective, which will encourage students to engage with alcohol-related issues currently in the media and government spotlight and in a broader international context.” From Beer to Fraternity: Alcohol, Society and Culture in North America – module handbook, website, learning outcomes, opening lecture, handouts, etc
Module Changes Lack of engagement with comparative/interdisciplinary aspects of course, Assessment strategy didn’t force students to get to grips with these aspects of the course Perception of these aspects as ‘irrelevant’
Module Changes Change to assessment structure More explicit engagement with contemporary (as well as international) issues More variety in terms of non-US cases (including Britain and Europe, as well as Canada and Mexico) Less chronological approach overall
Temperance (week 3) Lecture : emergence and development of US temperance movement in C19, and broader international developments Workshop : comparing extracts from temperance literature, pamphlets, imagery etc from US, Canadian and British temperance organisations Seminar : discussion of key scholarship and themes Comparative Study
Impact, Aftermath and Legacy of Prohibition Lecture : experience of prohibition, repeal, and legacy Workshop : using historical knowledge about prohibition to inform contemporary debates about alcohol/drug regulation Seminar : discussion of scholarship on repeal and aftermath of prohibition Interdisciplinary Study
Alcohol in the American Imagination Lecture : Outline of approaches to fictional portrayals of alcohol and drinking; illustrative examples Workshop : Focus on media discourses about alcohol and role in shaping public attitudes Seminar : Discussion of key text (Hemingway) and historiography Interdisciplinary Study
Alcohol in the American Imagination Lecture : Outline of approaches to fictional portrayals of alcohol and drinking; illustrative examples Workshop : Focus on media discourses about alcohol and role in shaping public attitudes Seminar : Discussion of key text (Hemingway) and historiography Interdisciplinary Study