Newcastle University

Pre Requisite Comment

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Co Requisite Comment

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Aims

We live in times of an unprecedented ‘memory boom’, where conflicts over memory, memorials and commemoration are present in across society – in media and discourse as well as in heritage and memory practices. How do we remember and represent important issues from the past? What choices are made - and by whom - over what should be remembered, and what forgotten? Who has the right to tell and the authority to be believed? Whose voices have been neglected and how are ‘memory activists’ changing this? How is memory mediated within society and culture and for what purposes?

This interdisciplinary module aims to analyse why memory matters – to whom, when, where and how. It aims to give you tools to think about different scales and dimensions of memory; from the personal to the global, from the concrete to the virtual, from the happy to the horrific. It aims to give you the confidence to work with different theoretical, methodological and practical approaches to memory. It aims to enable you to identify relationships of power, pragmatic and utopian politics, and preoccupations with place in contemporary battles to remember, and, ultimately, to position yourself in this fascinating and contested field.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus may be subject to changes but may typically include:
Concepts, definitions and challenges; memory actors and memory activism; Media representation and witnessing; memory and emotion; Memories of children and childhood; (En)gendering memory; Performativity and commemorative practice; Anniversaries; Archives in cultures of amnesia; Multidirectional memory; National memories; Memories without borders; Cosmopolitanism; COVID memories; The future(s) of memory

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of this module it is expected that you will be able to:
1. engage in critical discussion about the usefulness and limitations of concepts of memory
2. differentiate between different scales and dimensions of memory
3. defend the use of relevant theoretical and methodological frameworks to investigate specific case studies
4. synthesise and evaluate contemporary debates about memory and mediation

Intended Skill Outcomes

By the end of the module it is expected that you will be able to:
1. demonstrate your research skills by critically assessing a wide range of sources and selecting relevant case studies
2. apply relevant theories to case studies following this independent research
3. summarise key ideas of some of the key thinkers within memory studies
4. synthesise information and convey this succinctly in written form
5. demonstrate your skills of constructive criticism

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Interactive lectures will provide you with the theoretical and methodological framework you need to become familiar with key names and concepts in the field. When backed up with small-group teaching, where you will study the relevant literature and case studies in detail, this structure will enable you to become proficient at recognising the points of controversy and to become confident at intervening in the debates.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The assessment is planned in such a way as to allow for incremental, reflexive learning.

The Discussion Board contributions will allow you to post on real time events that you have selected yourselves and, in doing so, to appreciate the significance of this knowledge for contemporary life; that is, why memory matters. Students will be required to contribute to this board over the course of the module, writing a minimum of 4 discussion posts responding to and reflecting on a theme or idea raised during the lecture, responding to each other’s posts and sharing examples of memory practices, debates and representations that relate to the lecture topics. This will hone student skills of constructive criticism and critical reflection within an interdisciplinary setting.The comments and responses from your peers will allow you to engage closely with the learning aims and objectives of the module and to recognise productive differences in theoretical and methodological approaches. It will also hone your skills of constructive criticism.

The assessment methods offer students the opportunity to explore themes from the module and apply them in a theoretical and practical way. Essay 1 allows students to identify and critique theories, themes and methods discussed within the module in order to analyse different scales and dimensions of memory in relation to examples of their choice. Students will be given a list of potential essay questions, but will also be able to define their own topics in consultation with the module leader, enabling students to draw out specific interests, practices or debates that are of interest to them.

The discussion contributions and the essay will allow you to consider different scales and dimensions of memory and to decide where you would most like to intervene in the debates. Skills of research, analysis, synthesis and clarity of argument will be needed for both forms of assessment.

General Notes

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