“Community of Interests” The Creation, Development and Challenges of the Science Faculty at the University College of Swansea, circa 1920 – 1970

Abstract

This thesis addresses the development of the science faculty at the University College of Swansea from its creation in 1920 to 1970 through the progression of the science departments, the scientific curriculum, and research. While the timeline of the thesis is concentrated in the twentieth century, there is an initial investigation into nineteenth century university curriculum reform to clarify the link to later scientific educational developments and academic relationships with industry and commerce. This thesis argues that it was a framework of communities with its attendant roles of collaborations and networks which supported and shaped academic development both within the institution and in external spaces of influence. The expansion of these communities enabled the growth of the institution’s industrial, commercial, and academic connections at a regional, national, and transnational level. At the core of this research is the previously uncatalogued primary source material which provided an invaluable insight into decades of challenges, reactions, and relations of the individuals of the science faculty’s communities. Furthermore, to place the institution’s academic developments in a wider historical context an interdisciplinary approach was taken using the fields of educational, industrial, and cultural histories accompanied by political and military studies. By using this approach, the thesis determines how well the university college adapted to the challenges of delivering a comprehensive programme of science modules during adverse financial and unfavourable political periods, notably the depression of the 1930s and World War II. In addition, the thesis asserts that the post-war modernisation of the science faculty’s infrastructure was an essential element in ensuring that the University College of Swansea responded positively to the demands of delivering modern academic scientific teaching and research.