Liverpool's global impact - a city of cultural and economic transformations (IEEL016)

This module explores different representations of Liverpool through the ages to ask what they tell us about the city’s past and present.

Each two-hour session will consist of a lecture, discussion, and critical analysis of sources related to Liverpool's transforming cityscape in literature and film. Students will also visit the Museum of Liverpool. Analysing primary and secondary sources about the City’s history will encourage students to make valued judgments and informed discussions. Students will develop transferable skills relevant to employment, i.e. teamwork, interpersonal skills, oral presentation skills, and critical thinking.

Module leader: Michael Gill

Michael has worked and studied at the University of Liverpool since 2009. His research includes media analysis of historical events, international labour laws, international relations, and social history. His current research uses working-class writers with links to Merseyside as case studies to explore changing literary trends in 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

Aims

To develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas
To develop skills in research and collaborative learning
To learn about aspects of Liverpool's history through literary and visual representations.

Content

The following topics will be considered on the module:

From Redburn to Regeneration: How literature portrays the port of Liverpool
Moneylenders, Dockers and Slummies: Reading Liverpool in the early decades of the twentieth century
Filmed for posterity: Of time and the city
Liverpool on film in the 1980s: Boys from the Blackstuff, and No Surrender
Visit to the Museum of Liverpool to explore the artefacts on display to analyse how the city depicts its transformation through the ages
Representations of Liverpool in the 21st Century.

Structure

The module will be delivered over a three-week period in six two-hour sessions (four hours per week, total 12 hours contact time). The course will be both theoretical and practical in nature, with the sessions focused on giving the students as much hands-on experience as possible, and encouraging them to apply their ideas throughout.

Each session will take the form of an interactive seminar, mini lecture, or workshop. The students will demonstrate an awareness of how the city of Liverpool is represented in literature, film, and television. Students will have ample opportunities to demonstrate an increased mastery of research, communication, and analytical skills through the tasks and group discussions completed throughout the course.

In addition, it is expected that students will spend 38 study hours outside of the classroom contact hours on activities including assigned reading, optional reading of areas of personal interest, homework tasks, web research and preparation for assessment.

The indicative schedule is as follows:

Session one: From Redburn to Regeneration: How literature portrays the port of Liverpool

The course will begin with some general information about the module, including the aims and information regarding the assessment. Then it moves on to consider the importance of how literature portrays the port of Liverpool, particularly the dock area. The class will close read extracts from several books and discuss if their depictions provide fair or bias reflections of the city of Liverpool.

Session two: Moneylenders, Dockers and Slummies: Reading Liverpool in the early decades of the twentieth century

This session looks specifically at the industrial heartland of the Liverpool's waterfront and further afield. As a group, we will read extracts from primary and secondary source material about the communities who lived in close proximity to the city's port, including first-hand accounts from workers and sailors who resided in the city.

Session three: Filmed for posterity: Of Time and the City

The film Of Time and the City by filmmaker and writer Terence Davies is a personal journey that captures more than two decades of Liverpool's transformation in the mid-20th century. This session analyses several clips from the documentary to discuss how Davies captures the changing cityscape and how it informs our knowledge of Merseyside's history. In addition, the group will consider interviews with the writer, together with reviews from the media and film industry.

Session four: Liverpool on film in the 1980s: Boys from the Blackstuff, and No Surrender

The 1980s in Liverpool was a time of contrasts. High unemployment, a decrease in industry, rising social tensions, regeneration, success, and despair in the sporting world, whilst providing the world with innovative music and entertainment. This session explores how the television drama by screenwriters such as Alan Bleasdale and Jimmy McGovern depicted the mixed fortunes of the city by using humour, seriousness, and compassion.

Session five: Visit to the Museum of Liverpool to explore the artefacts on display to analyse how the city depicts its transformation through the ages

"The Museum of Liverpool reflects the city's global significance through its unique geography, history and culture." This week we will visit the museum as a group to investigate if or how the city of Liverpool uses historical representations in film and literature to promote its image in the present day.

Session six: Representations of Liverpool in the 21st century

In this final session, the group will read and examine extracts from a 21st century novel by a Liverpool author and, reflecting upon the sources analysed in previous weeks, consider how it compares to earlier works. The second part of the class will be dedicated to one part of the module assessment and consist of group or individual presentations.

Teaching methods

The teaching approach will include the following:

Taught sessions
Small group working
Group discussions
Presentations
Workshops
Site visits to museum.

Assessment

Assessment will be by:

Two 10-question multiple choice/short answer questions, one paper to be taken (50% of final mark)
15 minute group presentation, or 5-10 minute individual presentation/Q&A session (may be live, audio or video) (50% of final mark).

Standard University policies apply with regard to late submission of assessments.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students will be able to:

Develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas in written and spoken language
Research a topic within the subject area, be better able to work collaboratively in this research, and to produce a piece of work based on that research
Demonstrate knowledge of Liverpool’s history, and how this can be understood through visual and literary representations.

Skills

Key skills that will be developed:

Analytical skills - group discussion and written assignments will allow students to critically evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources
Research skills, through activities in class and preparation for assessed assignments
Communication skills, developed orally in group discussions, activities in class, and presentations; and in writing by production of assessed assignment.

Reading

The University Library website provides access to many relevant books and electronic books, as well as academic journals and databases.

Core texts

Bleasdale, Alan, Boys from the Blackstuff (Cheltenham: Thornes, 1985) (Extracts for sessions provided by module lead)
Conolly, Jez, Whelan, Caroline, World Film Locations: Liverpool (Bristol: Intellect Books, 2013) (Available at the University of Liverpool as an E-book)
Koresky, Michael, Terence Davies (Urbana: University of Illinois, 2015) (Available at the University of Liverpool as an E-book)
Rees-Jones, Deryn, Murphy, Michael, Writing Liverpool: Essays and Interviews (2007) (Available at the University of Liverpool as an E-book (2012)).