This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
This module considers politics, religion, culture and society in Britain under the Stuart kings, and analyses the nature and causes of conflict arising from tensions between, and within these overlapping areas. The seventeenth century was a period of fluctuating fortunes in church and state. The growth of religious polarisation, heightened fears of popish conspiracy, and the emergence of increasing religious dissent and toleration, went hand-in-hand with the collapse of monarchical authority, an experiment with republican government, and eventually, after the restoration of royal power, permanent constitutional change. In the hands of the Stuarts, the seventeenth century was often a turbulent time for England, Scotland and Ireland, as the dynasty grappled with the practicalities of governing three separate kingdoms, whose interests only periodically combined and occasionally collided. The complexity of the period is reflected in its historiography, which covers a broad range of themes, and about which debates continue to flourish.
Total contact hours: 40
Private study hours: 260
Total study hours: 300
Main assessment methods:
Essay 1 (3,000-words) - 16%
Essay 2 (3,000 words) - 16%
Oral Contribution - 8%
Exam (2 hours) - 60%
Reassessment methods:
Reassessment Instrument: 100% coursework
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices. The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages: https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Demonstrate a general grasp of the historiography of British politics and religion in the 17th century;
2 Demonstrate a sound understanding of the often tense relationship between the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland in the century before Union in 1707;
3 Conceptualise and interpret political, religious and cultural developments in Britain across the 17th century, through studying key events and episodes in the history of the period;
4 analyse, interpret and discuss evidence from secondary texts, and construct arguments based on this evidence.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Express complex ideas and concepts in written form;
2 Work collaboratively;
3 Demonstrate communication and presentation skills.
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