Mental Health and Madness: (X5100E)
Mental Health and Madness: exploring socio-cultural approaches
Module X5100E
Module details for 2027/28.
15 credits
FHEQ Level 4
Module Outline
The ways in which we understand experiences of emotional distress and wellbeing, normality and insanity, shape our attitudes and practices in relation to people diagnosed with a mental health difficulty, whether framed in terms of difference, problems of thought, a product of society and culture, or a biological mishap. This module explores the social influences that make up our understandings of madness, using this term to purposefully position the module within social-cultural contexts. The module will:
• discuss the history of mental health practices
• explore the emergence of user-led, alternative and radical movements seeking to transform conceptions of madness, wellbeing, and care
• consider the roles of media and art in constructing images of madness
• deconstruct notions of diagnosis.
Students will learn from research evidence about the effect of gender, ethnicity, culture and class on mental health and its governance within society, and reflect on the dynamic interactions between identity, wellbeing and ill-being. Teaching will draw on examples from literature, film, the press, autobiography and scholarship in order to relate theory to lived experiences.
Module Aims:
• To recognise different theories of mental ill-being and the debates which they incite.
• To understand the significance of gender, ethnicity, culture and class in relation to mental wellbeing and ill-being
• To consider ways in which madness has been responded to in different times and places
• To explore representations of madness in art, writing, film and media
The module will be assessed by a portfolio which focuses on discussing socio-cultural approaches to madness in relation to either gender, ethnicity, culture or class. Portfolios will contain a discussion drawing from research and theory (1200), a linked commentary on an associated representation of madness in art, film, literature (500 words), and a reflection on the role of user activism in changing social practices related to mental health (500).
Module learning outcomes
Assess theories of mental wellbeing and ill-being and differentiate between them
Discuss madness and mental health within historical and cultural perspectives
Examine the value of art, literature, film and media in understanding madness and mental health.
Identify the role of gender, class, culture and ethnicity in the diagnosis and treatment of madness and mental health considering issues of power and discrimination.
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio (1500 words) | Semester 2 Assessment Week 2 Wed 16:00 | 100.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Workshop | 2 hours | 11111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr David Orr
Assess convenor, Convenor
/profiles/177652
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