Last modified: 20 Jun 2025 15:13
This Special Subject explores the ways in which youth has been represented in Western popular cultures from the 1920s to the present day, to understand both the increasing social and political role of young people in Western societies, and the cultural and political use of youth as an ideal. Weeks 1-2 concentrate on the history of the changing meanings of youth as an ideal in culture and political propaganda, by exploring historical examples from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The subsequent classes examine the changing perception of youth – both as an ideal and a social subject – in Europe and the United States in the 20th and early 21st centuries. Students will be invited to engage with a variety of popular texts (including film, literary texts, television programmes, songs and magazines) from different decades and present them in class. Alongside gaining an understanding of the recent history of youth in the Western world, students will learn how to approach and analyse popular primary sources and self-produced, subcultural productions, which are often overlooked in historical research. To do so, they will be introduced to notions of cultural theory and media studies.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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In the 20th and 21st centuries, youth has represented both a symbol for, and an active agent of, social, cultural and political renewal in the Western world. As such, it has epitomised either an ideal to celebrate or a problem to solve. This course explores the ways in which youth has been represented – and young people have represented themselves – in Western popular culture from the 1920s to the 2020s, with the aim of understanding both the growing social and political significance of young people in Western societies, and the way youth has been used as a cultural and political ideal.
In Weeks 1–2, you’ll be introduced to the historical evolution of youth as an ideal in European culture and political propaganda. We will examine how youth has been perceived and utilised as an ideal, a life stage, and a social category, with examples ranging from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
As the course progresses, we’ll explore representations of youth across European and American popular culture, from 1930s newsreels to contemporary social media. You’ll engage with diverse sources, including iconic films such as Rebel Without a Cause (Ray, 1955) and Bend It Like Beckham (Chadha, 2002), magazine articles and fanzines, pop songs like The Who’s ‘My Generation’ and political anthems like the Fascist ‘Giovinezza’, popular literature such as the 1976 Italian novel Pigs Have Wings, 1990s television channels (MTV), and social media content like blogs and YouTube videos.
By the end of the course, you’ll not only have a deeper understanding of the role youth has played in shaping the cultural history of the 20th and 21st centuries, but you will also develop valuable skills in cultural theory, media studies, and critical analysis. Additionally, you'll have the chance to sharpen your presentation and research abilities by actively engaging with these diverse sources.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 | Feedback Weeks | 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 | |
| Feedback |
Every week, 2-3 students (depending on total student number) will make a presentation in class about a primary source each, selected by or discussed with the course coordinator. Students will be asked to consider how their source can be framed in an EDI perspective, taking issues of normativity and subversion, discrimination and empowerment connected with their source into account. Feedback will be given within one week after each student’s presentation. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To effectively analyse popular culture, visual media and grassroots cultural productions as historical primary sources, by engaging with cultural theory and media studies. |
| Factual | Understand | To develop advanced understanding of the history of young people as a generational subject in 20th- and 21st- century Europe and the United States. |
| Reflection | Create | To develop analytical and presentation skills thanks to in-class presentations, and to be able to reflect back on the process of historical examination. |
| Reflection | Understand | From an EDI perspective, to understand how ideas around youth as a generational and social subject have interacted with issues of gender, sex, race, and age. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 19 | Feedback Weeks | 21 | |
| Feedback |
Students will produce a 1000-word reflective report accounting their presentation: their research work, the theory and methodology they’ve used to analyse the source, and the end results. Feedback will be provided online through MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To effectively analyse popular culture, visual media and grassroots cultural productions as historical primary sources, by engaging with cultural theory and media studies. |
| Factual | Understand | To develop advanced understanding of the history of young people as a generational subject in 20th- and 21st- century Europe and the United States. |
| Reflection | Create | To develop analytical and presentation skills thanks to in-class presentations, and to be able to reflect back on the process of historical examination. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20 | Feedback Weeks | 24 | |
| Feedback |
In line with standard History special subject exam: students will answer a mixture of gobbet responses and examination questions on material from across the course. Feedback will be provided online via MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To effectively analyse popular culture, visual media and grassroots cultural productions as historical primary sources, by engaging with cultural theory and media studies. |
| Factual | Understand | To develop advanced understanding of the history of young people as a generational subject in 20th- and 21st- century Europe and the United States. |
| Reflection | Create | To develop analytical and presentation skills thanks to in-class presentations, and to be able to reflect back on the process of historical examination. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Understand | To develop advanced understanding of the history of young people as a generational subject in 20th- and 21st- century Europe and the United States. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | To effectively analyse popular culture, visual media and grassroots cultural productions as historical primary sources, by engaging with cultural theory and media studies. |
| Reflection | Create | To develop analytical and presentation skills thanks to in-class presentations, and to be able to reflect back on the process of historical examination. |
| Reflection | Understand | From an EDI perspective, to understand how ideas around youth as a generational and social subject have interacted with issues of gender, sex, race, and age. |
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