Work and Leisure in Nineteenth Century Britain

This course charts the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution, empire, and social factors in Britons' lives at work and at home in the nineteenth century. Readings will explore trade unionism and Chartism, urban migration, consumer culture, print culture, organized sports, shows, rational leisure" and the development of exhibitions and public museums. Students will gain a sense of how Britons worked and played in a century that gave birth to pastimes and institutions that continue to shape our own.