Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE HST1059

 
TITLE Cultural Transformation in Postcolonial Malta

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT History

 
DESCRIPTION The study-unit will explore the theme of cultural and social transformation which Maltese society experienced in the wake of its acquisition of independence, both in consequence of it but mainly as a result of the bigger dynamics of globalization and modernization. The main sub-themes through which this will be assessed include the following:

• theories of modernization and globalization
• secularization
• media and consumer culture
• female emancipation.

Study-Unit Aims:

• To offer students insights into the study of the Maltese historical political experience from a social/cultural perspective;
• To highlight developments in the field of social and cultural history as reflected in a variety of disciplines including sociology, gender studies and international relations;
• To make students aware of divergent points-of-view about 'post-colonial studies' and 'modernization' as a discipline and as a subject;
• To underscore the interaction between political/economic issues and social/cultural change in the contained context of Malta as part of a bigger framework of the Mediterranean, Europe and the world.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

• explain what the key conceptual debates in the study of sexuality, gender and the body are;
• list and analyze key themes in a post-colonial context and pertaining to modernization, globalization and change;
• critically appraise how an interdisciplinary approach to a subject which takes in a variety of perspectives provides for a better understanding of situations and events.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

• review critically and selectively and make sense of a range of secondary sources;
• navigate with confidence through online resources and understand how to distinguish between generic web sites and serious academic and professional tools;
• write an assignment with a clear structure and logical presentation of arguments;
• demonsrate the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach in seeking to gain a holistic perspective of socio-politico-cultural issues in contemporary society.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

• B. Ashcroft, G. Griffiths, H. Tiffin, Post-Colonial Studies: the Key Concepts, 2nd ed., (London, 2000).
• A.G. Hopkins, 'Globalisation and Decolonisation', The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 45:5, 2017, 729-745.
• L. Gibbons, 'Peripheral Modernities: National and Global in a Post-Colonial Frame', Nineteenth-Century Contexts, Vol. 29, 2&3, June/September 2007, 271-281.
• J. McGrath, K. Callanan Martin, Modernisation Theory: The Modernization of the Western World A Society Transformed, (New York, 2013).
• J.M. Pirotta, Fortress Colony, The Final Act, 1961-1964, Vol 4, (Malta, 2018).

Supplementary Readings:

• A. Arsalan, 'Malta's post-Independence policy-making: an international political economy perspective', (University of Malta, Department of History), 2014.
• B. Cauchi, 'Decolonizing development: a historical reading of a colonial present?', Journal of Maltese History, Volume 4, no.1 (2014).
• H. Frendo, The origins of Maltese statehood: a case study of decolonization in the Mediterranean, (Malta, 2000).
• V. Visanich, 'Structure and agency: changes in personal agency in the life domain of young women in Malta', SAGE Open, January 2018, Vol.8(1).

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES This study-unit is solely offered to Undergraduate Diploma in Maltese History in Context students.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Simone Azzopardi

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit