History BA

Core modules

History Workshop

What does it take to be a historian? In this module, you will study the process of historical research, learning discipline-specific methods and essential study and writing skills through close engagement with a historical text (usually a work of narrative non-fiction) linked to your tutor's research interests. You will develop skills in critical reading, historiography, essay writing, bibliographic techniques, and reflection.

The assessment for this module is aimed at giving you a strong foundation in the skills you will need throughout your degree and beyond: critical reading and writing, bibliographic techniques, and the ability to reflect on and articulate your skills as a historian.

20 credits

Thinking Historically

Building upon the foundational skills acquired in the introductory 'History Workshop,' this module will cultivate your ability to critically engage with the past, develop disciplinary awareness, and apply historical thinking. To do so it provides an introduction to the breadth of interests in the school and the way historians have made sense of patterns in historical developments. Moving from the Ancient and Medieval past to the contemporary world, the module shows how Sheffield historians approach the periods and places that interest us, whilst provoking you to ponder the issues involved in framing historical questions of your own. In this module, you will explore a recurring set of questions which inform history as a discipline: how and why have historians divided up the past into discrete periods, and with what consequences? How have historians constructed narratives that give shape and meaning to the events of the past? How can we evaluate the truth of historical representations and interpretations? How are they shaped by the availability of sources about past societies, and what determines which sources have survived to the present day? How have relationships of power influenced the sorts of stories that we tell and the voices that we hear from the past, and how do they continue to do so?By the end of the module, you will not only have a strong sense of what it means to see problems through a historical lens, but also a better understanding of the chronological and geographical range of work undertaken by Sheffield historians.

20 credits

History optional module examples:

Empire: From the Ancient World to the Middle Ages

Covering the period from the 4th century BC to the 15th century AD, this module invites students to explore the ancient and medieval worlds through the lens of 'empire'. It provides an introduction to ancient and medieval types of empire, their contacts with and legacies to each other, and the connectedness between East and West in this period. Using a wealth of primary evidence and drawing on corresponding historiographical debates, students explore what it meant to live in ancient and medieval empires, what kind of social, cultural and religious encounters they engendered, and whether there was any space for resistance.

20 credits

The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, c. 1570-1770

This module explores the fundamental shifts in mental attitudes and public behaviour that occurred in Europe between the age of the Reformation and the age of the Enlightenment. The central focus of the course will be the examination of the supernatural - religious beliefs, but also witchcraft and magic. You will explore the changing ways in which beliefs impinged on people's lives at various social levels. You will also have an opportunity to study the impact on people's world views of such changes as rising literacy, urbanisation, state formation and new discoveries about the natural world. All these will be investigated in the institutional contexts of state and church and the ways in which they sought to channel and mould beliefs and behaviour. This module enables you to understand how the early modern period is distinctive from and links medieval and later modern historical studies.

20 credits

The Making of the Twentieth Century

This module considers the twentieth century as a time that transformed the social and political order in the world, calling into question the role of the European powers in global contexts, and dramatically reorienting the relationship between states and societies. You will engage with case studies representing key themes in twentieth-century global history: imperialism and the processes of decolonisation; the challenges of building the postcolonial nation; revolutions and the emergence of new states; war, genocide and conflict; and the institutions of international order.

In addressing these themes, The Making of the Twentieth Century has a particular aim of counteracting prevailing tendencies towards Eurocentrism.  You will gain a considerable body of knowledge on the histories of Asia, Africa and Latin America especially.  At the same time, emphasis is placed on the empirical and theoretical grounds upon which competing interpretations rest in order to encourage you to develop critical awareness of the character of historical analysis.  More generally, this module aims to develop analytical, conceptual and literary skills through class discussion and written assignments.  Communication skills will also be emphasised in weekly seminars that will allow specific issues to be discussed in more depth, often with reference to primary source material.  Above all, the module seeks to stimulate an interest in history and an appreciation of cultural diversity.

20 credits

The Long View: an introduction to archaeology

This module traces the development of modern humans through to the modern era. It introduces the wide range of materials and methods that archaeologists use to study the past.  The practical laboratory-based classes and field classes provide experience in the basic identification, investigation and interpretation of archaeological evidence. They are supported by lectures that introduce archaeological methods, theories and worldwide case studies. From field to laboratory using examples from throughout the world, you will learn about how archaeology shapes knowledge about the deep and recent human past.

Through this module students will be introduced to debates on the formation and development of archaeological thought through a world-wide perspective from the Palaeolithic to the present. They will be presented with techniques and ideas used by archaeologists to explore the human record and understand the past. It offers an opportunity to explore and discover the archaeological record through practical engagement, using field and laboratory methods, while also highlighting the importance of selecting analytical techniques appropriate to the question posed and the data available. The module will enable students to develop core skills in decoding and critically understanding literature, observation, recording, analysis and interpreting archaeological evidence.

20 credits

The Transformation of the United Kingdom, 1800 - 2000

This module explores the central political, social, economic, cultural and diplomatic developments that have transformed Britain since 1800. Unlike most of its European neighbours, Britain did not experience dramatic moments of revolution, constitution-building, invasion or military defeat; indeed the belief that the nation was set on a course of gradual evolutionary progress was central to many versions of British identity. This course examines how, when and why change occurred in Britain. Key themes include the transition to mass democracy; the impact of industrialisation; shifts in social relationships based on class, gender and ethnicity; and the rise and fall of Britain as an imperial power.

20 credits

Core modules

For your core studies in your second year you will study the three modules listed below. The Research Project will introduce you to the practice of historical research and support you to develop information awareness. This will provide a stepping stone from the critical source work of document options to your third-year dissertation. You’ll develop essential skills in locating and evaluating sources while gaining firsthand experience of designing, developing, and presenting a short research project.

History and Historians

How has History developed as a subject of inquiry? Why do historians view the same issues and sources in different ways? What forces internal and external to our profession have shaped the way the past has been written? And who has had the power to write history and for what ends? This module, building on the foundational work students have done at Level 1, poses these questions. It is designed to encourage greater methodological reflection on the part of students. What kind of historian are they? And why? It also sets them up for more advanced interrogation of 'historiography' elsewhere in the programme.

20 credits

History and the Public

This module explores the theory and practice of public history by providing students with the opportunity to communicate their scholarly work to an audience beyond the boundaries of our discipline. Students will work collaboratively in writing a critique of a piece of public history as part of a broader evaluation of the use of history outside academic settings. The course will engage in debate about important questions facing historians in the present, and consider ideas about the role and purposes of History as an academic subject.

20 credits

Research Project

In this module, you will learn how to develop and execute a historical research project. Providing a stepping stone from the critical source work of document options to the dissertation at Level 3, you will develop essential skills in locating and evaluating sources  while gaining a first hand experience of how to design, develop, and present a short research project of 3,500 words. Through practical, lab-style teaching, you will undertake hands-on source work and consider the issues involved in posing questions and finding answers in evidence. 

The module will be taught through 11 two-hour workshops developed and delivered by academic staff around their areas of research specialism. Sessions will provide context on the area in question delivered both through short informal lectures and discussion of secondary reading. As the module progresses, focus will turn towards the process of developing an independent research project, deploying primary source material selected from electronically available resources (for instance digital databases or online source compendiums). Workshop tasks will help you to develop the skills necessary to identify, evaluate, and employ primary and secondary sources in research. These lab-style workshops with your tutor will be complemented by five research skills workshops for the whole module cohort led by the module convenor on subjects such as research data management and project planning. You will have the opportunity for written feedback on work submitted as a portfolio that will feed into the final 3,500 word research essay.

20 credits

Optional module examples:

Trumpism: An American Biography

Donald Trump's election, commentators claim, was unprecedented as well as unexpected: a break with more than two centuries of custom. Yet closer scrutiny of American history suggests Trump is no aberration. The module will interrogate the U.S. past to better understand the present, looking at the likes of populism as a political language, whiteness as a psychological wage, masculinity as a path to high office, protectionism as an economic policy, and deindustrialization as a political spur. By asking historical questions about the roots of Trump's rise, we will situate the American present in a complex and often painful past.

20 credits

Holy Russia, Soviet Empire: Nation, Religion, and Identity in the 20th Century

This module explores the twentieth-century history of Russia, the Soviet Union, and its successor states. Rather than approaching this turbulent period in history by focusing on the rise and fall of different political leaders (as is often the case in survey courses), we instead approach this subject through the prism of nation, religion and identity. The course probes the following questions: What did the 'Russian revolution mean for the multi-national empire created by the Romanovs? How far did the communist party manage to create a 'Soviet' identity, and on what was this based? Did the Bolsheviks attempt to create an atheist society succeed? And what happened to 'Soviet' identity when communist leaders began to lose their grip on power in the final decades of the twentieth century?

20 credits

Shell-Shock to Prozac: Mental Health in Britain

This course charts the history of psychiatry and mental health in Britain. We start at the First World War, with the large-scale management of psychiatric casualties (shell-shock). We will look at the uptake of psychoanalysis in interwar Britain, contrasted with 'extreme' asylum treatments such as lobotomy and insulin coma therapy. We shall then gauge the impact of the National Health Service from 1948, the closure of the asylums, and the impact of new drug therapies (including the iconic Prozac). Finally we shall analyse the rise of patient activism, and the emergence of new 'epidemic' illnesses such as depression and self-harm.

20 credits

Life Worth Living

What does it mean for a life to go well? How does one live life well? What is a flourishing life? These questions have shaped intellectual endeavour for millennia. Life Worth Living explores approaches to these questions through engagement with diverse traditions/thinkers including classical Greek philosophy, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Existentialism, Marx, and Nietzsche. The module includes historical analysis of these traditions, visits from individuals whose lives are shaped by them, fieldwork to discuss the ideas beyond the classroom, and assessments to help students develop their own vision of a life worth living.

20 credits

Egypt's Golden Empire

Ancient Egypt has stimulated public interest for hundreds of years.  This is because of the rich legacy left by the Egyptians to illustrate their power, wealth and belief system in elaborate temples, monuments and highly decorated tombs containing treasures, and latterly a deciphered script.  But, how much of this evidence is a skewed version of a rich past based on power, wealth and propaganda?  This module focuses on the New Kingdom Egypt, between the 16th and 11th centuries BCE, the Age of Empire, to interrogate the historical record and throw light on Egyptian society in the New Kingdom. In the late Bronze Age, from the late fifteenth century BCE, Egypt's political power and wealth reached its zenith; it dominated the political landscape and trade in and around the Mediterranean.  It had an empire that stretched beyond the Euphrates and Turkey in the north, and into what is now Sudan in the south.  This is the time of warrior kings such as Thutmose III, alleged heretics in Akhenaten whose iconoclastic rule all but erased Egyptian history, magnificent queens in Nefertiti and minor insignificant royals such as Tutankhamun who brought a powerful dynasty to its end; the so-called pharaohs of the sun.  The later meteoric rise of Ramesses II again brought dominance to Egypt only to be eroded by a succession of weak leaders around 1100 BCE.  These economic powerhouses provided the wealth to build the documentary, architectural and material legacy we have today.  This is the Egypt which excites the popular imagination.  However, these resources tell the story not only of the succession of powerful rulers, but also about how ordinary people lived their lives, and how society functioned. Through a series of fascinating case studies, this module traces the development and decline of this superpower through these empire builders, heretic kings, and young rulers who had their power usurped by generals and administrators.  It draws on wide range of sources; hieroglyphic texts document a written history through the succession lists of Egypt's rulers, economic transactions at home and abroad attesting to a powerful trade network and efficient economic system, financial accounts showing ownership and trade at home, judicial trials of treachery and plots, and poems giving a more intimate view of daily life.  Magnificent stone temples tell of power, but also of religious practice, social hierarchy and of international relations.  Statuary, effigies and art tells us of elite dominance, power and achievements, but also of conflict, control and the use of propaganda.  Extensive and elaborate funerary monuments and burial sites with rich and extremely well-preserved artefactual evidence demonstrate an elite wealth, but also illustrate trade, craft and workmanship; these tombs also contain the remains of individuals which enables us to explore lifestyle, health and, through genetic analysis, family relationships.  How science and experiment has changed our views of written history in recent years, and the apparent conflict between the different sources of data will be discussed.  Topics such as the interplay of power at both local and international levels, the lives of everyday Egyptians - social and economic inequalities, how society functioned and was organised, and the pressures of gaining and maintaining international dominance will be explored.

20 credits

A History of Eastern Africa since 1940

This module examines the history of Eastern Africa during the era of decolonisation. It focuses on comparisons and connections between three states: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The module assumes no prior knowledge of African history and seeks to provide an accessible, dynamic introduction to the region's often contentious past.

The module begins by situating Eastern Africa within the context of British colonialism, which came under increasing strain due to the global impact of the Second World War. It then turns to the contrasting experiences of independence in the region. We will analyse the development of nationalist movements in Tanganyika and Uganda, which took peaceful if still politically contentious paths to independence. On the other hand, in Kenya the end of empire took a violent shape. We will ask whether the 'Mau Mau' conflict was an anticolonial struggle or civil war. The journey from colonial territory to independent nation-state was not the only possible outcome at this moment, as we go on to explore the rise and fall of regional integration projects and the notion of an 'East African' identity.

The region's states became democracies at independence, but multiparty politics soon gave way to single-party governments in all three countries. Yet 'authoritarianism' meant different things across the region. We will study Tanzania's turn to revolutionary socialism and Uganda's years of dictatorship and civil war, including the notorious - but poorly understood - military regime of Idi Amin. Finally, we will examine the reasons behind the return to democratic government at the end of the Cold War - and the limits of reform.

Although this political story provides a spine to the module, we will understand it not just from the perspective of state actors, but those of ordinary East Africans. Themes of gender, race, generation, and class run through the module. For example, we will assess the role of women's activists in struggles for first independence and then democracy. We will examine the changing role of the family in decolonising societies, whether under socialism or military dictatorship and in contexts shaped by rapid urbanisation and the AIDS pandemic. We will explore the experiences of the region's minorities, such as Muslim communities and South Asian diaspora. 

Throughout the module, we will consider how historians can 'decolonise' the study of African history, especially by foregrounding the rich but often overlooked work of East African historians. In class, we will work at first hand with primary sources like newspapers, cinema, and short stories, to place the voices of the region's peoples at the centre of this overview.

20 credits

A Protestant Nation? Religion, Politics and Culture in England 1560-1640

On the accession of Elizabeth I, England became an officially Protestant country but the Church, State and laypeople did not necessarily agree about the nature of changes needed to accommodate the new religion. On the level of national government policy, we shall explore what governments expected from their subjects and how they attempted to secure religious conformity during the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. How far did anti-Catholicism define English identity in this period? Did authorities at the national and local levels disagree about how severely religious minorities should be treated?

20 credits

The Heretic, the Witch and the Inquisitor: The Medieval Inquisition from the Cathars to Joan of Arc

The Inquisition - an extraordinary court instituted by bishops from the 13th century to judge heretics and encourage their return to the Roman Church - marks an important development in medieval history and has played an essential role in modern perceptions of the Middle Ages. By focusing on some of the best known sources of the Inquisition, which have been important in recent historiography as well as contemporary fiction (The Name of the Rose), this module allows you to reflect on how a better understanding of the Middle Ages and a critical questioning of modern prejudices can benefit from each other.

The module focuses on two main source collections (which are available online in English translation): the inquisition record of Jacques Fournier, bishop of Pamiers in South France in the early 14th century, who became Pope Benedict XII, and the two trials of Joan of Arc, i.e., the accusation trial of 1431, at the end of which she was burned at the stake, and the rehabilitation trial of the 1450s that overturned the verdict of the first trial. It examines other forms and continuations of inquisition, such as the Spanish Inquisition (starting in 1478), the Roman Inquisition (which famously condemned Galileo in 1633), and the beginning of the witch-craze of the early modern period in late medieval Europe.

20 credits

Empire at War: World War Two in Global Context

One of the most enduring myths of 'British history' is that in September 1939, when the Second World War began, Britain stood alone to fight the 'good' war against Nazism and Fascism. But this is not only a reductive narrative of the war, with restricted military focus, but also entirely focussed on British and European experience. The truth is that Britain was never alone - behind her was the full material (and sometimes, moral) weight of her empire. Studies which neglect this not only limit our understanding of the Second World War in history, but also (dangerously) suffer from Eurocentrism. Such a Eurocentric focus obscures different experiences and understandings of the war that existed specifically in the British colonies in Asia, Africa and the Middle-East, and determined how they responded to this war. It also obscures the role that imperialism played, and how imperial powers like Britain heavily policed and repressed freedom movements in their colonies, while fighting the 'world' war in the name of freedom in their own land. The way out of this narrow focus is to decolonise the history around these wars, to interrogate how European histories of the world wars have so far formed the basis of (universal) concepts and definitions by which we study wars in both the Global North and Global South.

In this module, you will unpack the diverse and complex strands to understanding the 'world' in the Second World War. You will study the experiences of people living in territories across the British empire; how the war was not just an event in history that started and ended on specific dates, but also part of the processes that generated and accelerated decolonisation, especially in Asia and Africa. You will also explore the extent to which World War Two was rooted in the experience of World War One, how the politics of the inter-war period had an impact on political and social processes in the colonies and the kind of epistemic violence these wars generated at everyday lived experiences. This, in turn, will enable you to not only look at the Second World War in a new light, but also to understand why the study of these wars is integral to understanding the nature of the British empire itself. 

20 credits

Document Option module examples:

From Democracy to Dictatorship: the 1973 coup in Chile

This document option explores the coup of 11 September 1973 as a turning point in Chilean, Latin American and global history. It will use primary sources to explore events on both sides of this critical date, casting light on life in Chile under both democracy and dictatorship. This module will also situate the Chilean coup in international and global history, asking why events in a small Latin American country held such global importance. We'll use government documents to explore why  the United States found it necessary to intervene against the Allende government and assist the reactionary forces who supported the military coup and transcripts of interviews to grasp how everyday life changed for Chileans in 1973. We'll also explore the significance of events in Chile for the wider global Cold War, using music, art and documents left by activists to ask why everyday people in countries across the world - including the United Kingdom - mobilised in solidarity with the Chilean people and in the name of human rights, and we'll also assess the impact this activism had.

20 credits

Murder in the cathedral: the Becket Affair

On 29 December 1170, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was brutally murdered in his cathedral by four knights of his King and one-time friend, Henry II. In the space of ten years, a close friendship had been ruined, and Thomas' stubbornness, flight to France, and untimely death created additional tensions for the English king. This document option investigates events surrounding Thomas' death and the emergence of his cult. It asks how a minor squabble became a continent-wide cause célèbre, forcing Henry into an act of ritual humiliation to clear his name while ensuring that Thomas' memory lived on.

20 credits

The Putney Debates, October 1647

Following the first English civil war there was political stalemate over the post-war settlement. By late 1647 there were calls for revolutionary political change, not least at the famous Putney debates. They came at a crucial moment in the development of the revolution, and successive editors between 1891 and 2007 presented the records of the debates in varying contexts in order to reveal the fundamental significance of the revolution. This module explores the background to the debates at Putney, what was said, and also considers how different editions of the debates reflect the shifting significance attached to the English revolution.

20 credits

Tenochtitlan, City of Blood and Flowers: Aztec society in the early sixteenth century

Since the devastating arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in 1519, the history of the Aztecs has been haunted by the spectre of human sacrifice. But their unique island-capital was not only a centre for spectacular religious bloodshed, but also a sophisticated metropolis, and home to a very civilized and familiar society of educated individuals and loving families. Attempting to recover the history of this complex indigenous culture, this document option examines life in Tenochtitlan at the time of the Spanish arrival through the records of the remarkable encounter between the Aztecs and Spanish, along with pre-conquest archaeological and visual sources.

20 credits

Core modules:

In addition to the modules listed below, a further core module for your third year is awaiting approval. We expect you to have the chance to build on your core work in your second year and learn how to navigate conflicting and controversial disputes in history and historiography by focusing on a single interpretive issue.

Making History Public

This core module is designed to allow students the opportunity to produce a piece of public history. It will equip students with the skills required to effectively communicate their scholarly research to a non-academic audience, and develop transferable skills beyond the traditional academic skills of a History degree. Drawing on any aspect of their experience as History undergraduates, students will design and produce an accessible digital artefact presenting a topic or theme of their choosing. Students will be supported by workshops and seminars to identify suitable topics and develop communication and digital skills central to public history, and will also be encouraged to bring their extra-curricular skills and interests to this module. A virtual exhibition will showcase student work to the whole History community. In addition, students will submit an interpretative written exercise, situating and explaining the artefact they have created and analysing their experience over the course of the module.

20 credits

Dissertation

The Dissertation in History is an exercise of 9-11,000 words in which students explore an individually chosen topic involving problems and issues derived from a module taken at level two or level three. It is expected to consist of research at a high level where interpretation and analysis will be of importance. The balance between primary and secondary materials will depend on the topic and the availability of sources. In each case students work independently under the guidance of a supervisor.

40 credits

Special Subject examples:
The following list includes the full range of Special Subjects that we offer. A selection of these will be available each session and the exact programme varies from year to year.

A Comparative History of Revolution

This module takes a comparative approach to the study of Revolution as a way to gain a better understanding of significant transformation of the social, economic and political landscapes of entire societies, to question underlying assumptions regarding values and legitimacy, as well as to understand and assess the vocabulary of revolution which has come to permeate political language. By comparing different case studies, students will have an opportunity to engage with the rich and stimulating historiography in this area and to formulate their own interpretations of a subject that touches on significant questions about change and power.

20 credits

Decolonising History: Empires, Colonialism and Power

This module examines the rise and fall of empires as processes that shape our contemporary world. It considers the growth and governance of empires, decolonisation struggles, and the telling of imperial history from the perspective of colonised and coloniser. In approaching this history from multiple vantage points, this module asks: who held power, particularly over knowledge production, both during empire and after empire's end? Drawing upon diverse historiographical traditions, and examining a wide range of time periods and places, we will question the centrality of empires in the telling of global history. In doing so, we will bring the past to bear on contemporary debates about race, globalisation, migration, and decolonisation. This module is, above all, about what it means to decolonise history, society and the academy.

20 credits

The Family

The family is one of the most important forms of social relation across historical periods and places. But this seemingly 'natural' form of social organisation has a diverse history, as households and familial relationships were shaped by their cultural, economic, and political contexts. This module examines historical family structures and familial relations, from affection and care to authority and exclusion. We pay particular attention to gender and race, considering how intersecting identities shaped the family as we know it today. Drawing on anthropology, feminist history, and queer history, we also consider non-biological kinship: from 'chosen families' to surrogacy.

20 credits

Permissive Britain? Social and Cultural Change 1956-74

This module explores British society and culture as the nation moved from an era of austerity to one of unprecedented affluence. Key topics include the impact of affluence on class and gender relationships, the emergence of a national youth culture, changes and continuities in sexual behaviour, and debates about immigration and race. The unit encourages students to assess the significance of reforming legislation that relaxed the censorship regime, decriminalised homosexuality, enabled easier access to abortion, liberalised the divorce system and abolished capital punishment, examining the arguments of those who resisted, as well as those who championed the 'permissive society'.

40 credits

The World of Intoxicants in Early Modern England

Intoxicants were a key feature of early modern societies. This is as true for 'old' world alcohols like wine, beer, ale, and other fermented drinks as it is for 'new' intoxicants like opiates, tobacco, sugar, caffeines, chocolate, and distilled liquors that began to enter European diets after 1600 from the Levant, the Americas, and Asia. Focusing on intoxicants in England, this module considers a) the ongoing importance and, indeed, increasing significance of alcohols to culture, society, and economy over the course of the seventeenth century and b) the introduction and popularisation of new intoxicants over the same period.

40 credits

Tools of Empire? Medicine, Science and Colonialism, 1800-1950

Western science and biomedicine have, for long, been seen as symbols and agents of progress. Research in the last two decades has, however, revealed their close ties with the history of colonial conquest and rule - so much so that scientific discoveries such as guns, steamboats, and quinine have been seen as 'tools of empire'. This module will, however, go beyond this fact and discuss much larger questions of equal relevance. It will, for instance, deal with the question of the 'consumption' of science in the colonies, the role of the colonies in constituting western science, the role of medicine in furthering colonial hegemony, the 'reinvention' of traditional sciences such as Unani and Ayurveda under colonial influence, the relationship between scientific centres and peripheries, and post-colonial developments with respect to medical and scientific administration. In exploring these themes, the module will not limit itself to any particular region, but will draw upon readings from South Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

40 credits

Anarchy in the UK? Radicals, Democrats and Revolutionaries 1830-1886

This module examines the history of radical political culture in the United Kingdom from the Reform Act of 1832 to the Home Rule crisis of 1886. The re-imagining of the British state within radical political cultures is the chief focus, with particular emphasis on the democratic ideals projected from a variety of perspectives, liberal, socialist, republican, and Irish nationalist. There were many radical proposals to transform the British polity; from a desire to extend the franchise to republican activism, the many layers of radicalism in the United Kingdom will be assessed within wider political, cultural and intellectual contexts.

40 credits

The Weimar Republic - Laboratory of Modernity

The history of Weimar Germany has often focused on elements of crisis and the rise of the Nazis. But the Weimar Republic was more than just a state of permanent crisis. It was also a laboratory of modernity, a site of permanent experimentation in politics, the arts and mass media, in gender relations and in attempts to build new communities. The module will use and engage the rich primary source record of the era. More than many other eras of history, Weimar Germany prompts us to consider the potential disadvantage of hindsight for the historian: that s/he already knows the outcome.

40 credits

The Wars for Vietnam: Empire, Decolonisation and Liberation

In the middle decades of the twentieth century, Vietnam was wrenched by wars: a world war, a war of decolonisation, a civil war, the Cold War, and a war against its erstwhile communist allies. By studying these conflicts, we not only learn about modern Vietnam, but also the French empire, U.S. foreign policy, and communist internationalism in the mid-20th Century. As case studies, these wars shed light on larger global processes of imperial conquest, decolonisation and neo-colonial control, communist revolution and the limits of internationalism. As an archetype of national liberation, events in Vietnam also profoundly shaped anti-colonial struggles around the world and social movements in the United States and Europe, from Black Power to the women's liberation movement. This module explores the wars for Vietnam through the themes of empire, decolonisation, and liberation, paying close attention to Vietnamese perspectives, exploring the role of France, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, and uncovering the global reverberations of these conflicts. We will investigate the historiography which set the broad parameters of debate, as well as newer scholarship which has challenged these orthodox interpretations, and we will examine a wide range of primary sources, from government documents, memoirs, and oral histories, to images, fiction, and film.

40 credits

Resistance & Liberation in South Africa: Gandhi to Mandela

This module analyses resistance to segregation, apartheid, and white supremacy in South Africa. Drawing upon memoirs, oral histories, novels, films, speeches, news reporting, online databases, and document collections, we begin with the non-violent campaigns led by Mohandas Gandhi in the 1900s against the segregation of Indians in South Africa, and end with Nelson Mandela's election as president in the country's first non-racial democratic elections in 1994. We will explore the inspirations, nature, and effects of a wide range of forms of political, social, and cultural resistance by opponents of white supremacy - from ordinary people to elite politicians - both inside South Africa and around the world.

40 credits

France in Africa, Africa in France: experiencing colonialism, anticolonialism, and postcolonialism

This module examines the rise and fall of French imperial rule in Africa, and its legacies and afterlives, from the end of the 19th century to the contemporary post-colonial era. By 1918, French imperial power in Africa had reached its zenith. Yet the next fifty years were characterised by contradiction, decline, and conflict, as the certainties of the ‘age of empire’ were challenged. It will explore the ideas that underpinned French imperialism; the effects of imperialism on colonised societies; challenges to imperial rule; the complex relationship between French republican ideals and imperialism; movements of people and ideas from Africa to metropolitan France; and the persistent and important legacies of empire in the post-colonial era. Through these topics students will engage with questions of how race, gender, and class were navigated in the Francophone world, drawing on source material which allows for a ‘bottom-up’ approach to draw out the voices of the people under study. Our range of primary sources represent the widest range of perspectives including African and French voices, women and men, the metropole and colony. Secondary literature will be used to contextualise the these sources and allow students to engage with the latest historiographical debates and scholarship being generated by this rapidly expanding field of enquiry. All texts will be provided in English.

40 credits

Makers of a New World: Merchants, Scholars and Commoners in Late Medieval Europe

Between 1350 and 1450, many of the foundations of the Europe as we know it and the world has experienced it were laid by specific groups of people: merchants who established capitalist market economy and, at the same time, shaped the appearance of their cities through patronage and the promotion of new artistic models; scholars who reconsidered past evidence and the meaning of the past through the 'rediscovery' of the Classics; and commoners that developed individual and collective ways of getting their voices heard in politics and religion.The module builds on new scholarship on the late medieval period and, to an extent, the early modern period and extra-European history to engage critically with developments that have more traditionally been referenced as the Renaissance, Humanism, the Waning of the Middle Ages, and approached as transition, crisis, transformation or, more specifically, through notions including the 'disanchantment', the birth of the 'nation-state' and 'European expansion'.

40 credits

Merchants, Pirates and Planters: The English Overseas, 1570-1624

The period c.1570-1624 saw a reorientation of England's global position, as increasing numbers of English people began to venture into unfamiliar regions. This course charts the nature and significance of their travels. We will encounter merchants in Europe, the Ottoman Empire and the far east, settlers and conquerors in Ireland and America, explorers in the frozen seas of the far north, and pirates in Spanish America. The latter part of the course focuses on the foundation of England's first 'successful' American colony, Jamestown. Throughout, we consider the motives driving these ventures, and the complex nature of the encounters that ensued.

40 credits

The National Security State, Treason, and Individual Rights during the Twentieth Century

National security scares over 'whistleblowers' such as Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning or Kathrine Gun have catapulted the image of the 'traitor' back into public discourse. At the same time, controversies over Wikileaks' political agenda and Russian interference with the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential elections were as much discussed in terms of British and US national security as a threat to the security of 'the West' as a whole. These conflicts stand at the end of a century that has seen the rise of the modern surveillance state and transnational security frameworks organized through institutions such as Interpol, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact states (until 1989/91).  Over the course of the 20th century, more and more people saw themselves suspected of betrayal of the community. The First World War transformed older clearly defined criminal offences of 'high treason' against the sovereign and their immediate family members to wider accusations of treason against the nation, state, and people. The rise of communism and fascism triggered the building of new domestic public security apparatuses in the interwar period. War crimes and genocide of the Second World War further complicated debates on the morality of collaboration with the enemy. In response, security agencies professionalized their work and the early Cold War saw calls for transnational bloc-wide security regimes to combat subversion by the Cold War enemy. Since then, state surveillance has come to be seen more and more as a constant everyday threat to privacy and individual rights after the digital revolution of the 1970s.  In this special subject, we explore through rich source material the political, emotional, social, and cultural dynamics that were at play when individuals or groups from across Europe, the US and Soviet Union were accused of betraying society. We will consider how people's ethnic, gender, and class background impacted their fate of becoming 'traitors'. Taken together, their cases will provide answers to the central question of how demands for the professionalization of the national security state have impacted ordinary people's lives and rights under different forms of government and how they shape our contemporary understandings of democracy and authoritarianism.

40 credits

Italy in the Age of Dante, ca. 1200-1350

In the 13th and 14th centuries, northern-central Italy was one of the most urbanized, economically dynamic and culturally innovative parts of Western Europe, to the point that important scholars of the past have seen the Italian city-states as forerunners of modern concepts of republicanism and individualism. The cultural efflorescence of this period is still visible in the historical city centre of many Italian towns, in the frescoes of Giotto, and in the literary works of authors such as Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), best known for his exploration of the Christian afterlife in the Divine Comedy. And yet, Dante's Italy was also plagued by instability, civil wars and factionalism, as exemplified by the poet's banishment from his city, Florence, on account of political rivalries. How did the Italian city-states manage to flourish economically and culturally in such a fraught political landscape? How could they reconcile intellectual sophistication and religious revival on one side, and significant levels of violence and turmoil on the other? This module will make use of sources such as artwork, chronicles, literature and charters to explore various facets of the political, social and cultural life of the communes with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of this multi-faceted society.

The module will introduce you to the political, religious, social, and cultural landscapes of the Italian city-states between the 13th and the 14th century. It will develop your awareness of the historiographical interpretations of the period and its key features, e.g., the communal movement, merchant capitalism, the 14th century crisis and lay sanctity.

40 credits

Emotions and identity in Britain: from 'stiff upper lips' to 'snowflakes'

This module introduces students to an exciting area of social and cultural history: the emotions. In the early twentieth century, Britain confronted the emotional disorders of warfare, the repressed and sexualised emotions of Freudian theory, and the prevailing culture of 'stiff upper lip'. Today our emotions are everywhere, poured out on social media: we are endlessly exhorted to talk about and investigate our emotional states, wants, drives and needs. This shift has been spectacular and far-reaching, involving psychology, welfare, education and empire. This course helps students to understand how this has happened - and how our emotions are now an integral part of gender, racial and sexual identities in Britain.

40 credits

The World Transformed? The League of Nations and the End of Empire, 1919-46

The League of Nations was a major experiment in the organisation of international relations after the devastation of the First World War. Political theorists and historians have long debated its merits, and references to its failures line the pages of textbooks. But rather than reproduce these arguments about the inability of the League of Nations to prevent a second world war, this module takes a different approach. It draws our attention to the surprising role it played in a whole range of areas of international governance in former imperial territories in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In this module, we see League officials working with institutions, governments, and non-governmental actors on programmes directed at disarmament, international crime, trafficking, public health, universal children's rights, slavery, communications, and much more. We ask: Who worked for the League or participated in its internationalist programmes? How did they realise their work? What problems, opportunities, or opposition did it cause? What was the significance of their work? And does a study of the League help us to better understand the UN and international organisations more generally today? 

In other words, instead of focusing on high politics, the module introduces students to the League's work in practice, offering insight into the experiences of millions of ordinary men and women as they sought to rebuild their lives after war, revolution, and the collapse of empires. The module draws on the completely digitised archive of the League of Nations. In this module you will be taught how to navigate this vast archive and search through its depositories. We will analyse sources ranging from reports to first-hand accounts of life in internationalised territories, where continued violence, food shortages, and other problems persisted long after the war. We will also examine magazines, film, photography, and architecture related to peacekeeping, which is held in the archive. The League's archive provides an excellent resource for writing dissertations and conducting original research.

40 credits