1. The landscape of Victorian Britain
- The Great Exhibition
- A changing environment
- Population trends
- Structure of society
2. Victoria: monarch and empire
- The Image of a Queen
- A modern royal family
- Jubilees – celebrating the Empire
3. Victorian family life
- Childhood
- Marriage
- Legal rights of women
4. The workshop of the world
- Industrial revolution
- Innovations in transport
- Urban development
5. Public health
- Health epidemics
- Housing conditions
- Attitudes and solution
6. Poverty and the workhouse
- Problems of poverty
- The workhouse
- Victorian philanthropy
7. Crime and Punishment
- The ‘criminal’ classes
- Punishment
- Treating the insane
8. Religion and education
- The established church v nonconformism
- Sectarian education
- Education for the masses
9. Leisure
- Cultural interests
- Growth of the seaside resorts
- Popular entertainments
10. Retrospect
- Strengths and weaknesses of the Victorian age
- Final images of Victorian Britain
We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.