Modern History

(Autumn term) What is the historian’s project? What questions, assumptions and blind spots have shaped the discipline? In this module, students will examine how the study of history has changed over the course of the modern era and come to understand some of the approaches which make the historical profession a vibrant area of scholarly inquiry. You will focus on some of the foundations of the field, marrying theoretical approaches with key texts to see how the discipline has developed. Students will also think broadly about the kind of historian they are, the approaches that most interest them, and examine how historians approach their projects, so that they might develop a project of your own.

(Autumn term) What is public history? From academics engaging in projects with broad appeal to those whose work can influence and change social policy and modern society, the area of public history is a long as it is broad. This module will introduce students to the world of public history through some of the following: historical consultancy, museums and heritage, historical preservation, oral history, community history, not to mention the burgeoning field of film and media. It will consider the impact of science, technology, medicine and health over time and explore how developments in these fields have helped to shape the modern world as it is understood today. Students will engage in project work, centred on their theoretical understanding of key aspects of public history and how it interacts with a broad audience.

(Summer term) Laying the foundation for independent study and helping you on your journey to become a self-reflective, critical historian: this is the aim of your undergraduate degree. This module is designed to prepare you for the independent study module, the History Dissertation, to be written over the summer/summer vacation. It will help you articulate key concepts, ideas and theories underlying your creative work. You will learn the process of producing a dissertation: from design to the use of archives and specialist libraries, to structure and formal presentation. The dissertation involves self-directed learning and research, with the aim of producing a structured and persuasive argument, demonstrating a command of the technical languages of a variety of historical approaches. Preparing you for your dissertation will give you the foundation you need to produce a polished, innovative piece of work in your final year of study.

(Summer term) This is an independent study module with no specified curriculum. The task of the dissertation is designed to provide students with the opportunity to articulate key concepts, ideas and theories underlying their creative work, as well as providing an in-depth contextual presentation of their work situating it within the current historiography and reflecting on their own methodological choices. The dissertation involves student-directed learning and research with the aim of producing a structured and persuasive argument, demonstrating a command of the technical languages of a variety of historical approaches, and perhaps including the effective use of visual materials in support of their arguments. The overall aim of the dissertation is to enable the students to become self-reflective learners.

(Spring term) The period 1815-1885m saw Europe awash in political, international and cultural ferment. This age witnessed the first experiments with modern parliamentary government, and democracy ceased being shorthand for demagogy. Modern Political ideologies, like liberalism, conservatism, socialism, egotism and imperialism were all coined at this time. They remain foundational for our contemporary political lexicon. In the cultural realm, the movement known today as Romanticism was the result of this far from innocent soul-searching and exploration of Europe’s ghosts and demons. Such exploration of the emotive sphere of the human psyche had repercussions that went well beyond the cultural sphere, spilling over into the world of politics, government, war and peace. In this module, you will explore how, after the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire, there was great excitement over trying to create new political programmes and adventures. Modern politics owes an enormous debt to this age of political experimentation and revolution.

(Spring term) What is ‘total war’, how did this term originate, and how did it manifest itself in military history? The First World War gave birth to the concept of ‘total war’; the Second World War became the paradigmatic instance of this new kind of warfare. Both military conflicts revealed a novel trend towards a total mobilisation of society and global, unrestricted warfare against enemy armies and populations. This module examines the anticipation, experience and aftermath of the global history of ‘total war’. Particular attention will be given to the erosion of the boundaries between military and civilian spheres and targets.

(Spring term) What is power and how has does it manifest itself? From popular protest to state-sponsored propaganda, power has shaped the modern world in immeasurable ways. Leaders have used and abused it. Others have seized it to forge a new path. The hows, wherefores, and whys are central to the understanding of human interactions. In this module, students are encouraged to examine the power dynamics of modern history through its social, cultural, and political lenses, apply the latest historiographical and methodological trends to a variety of themes and chronological hallmarks within modern history. Through this, they will develop key research skills that will enable them to research, write, and argue about power’s influence in shaping the modern world.

(Summer term) Description to be included.

(Summer term) Description to be included.