HISTORY MODULE DESCRIPTIONS

Transcription

1 HISTORY 2nd Year Semester: 1 HI2103 Dr Alison Forrestal Monarchy and Society in Early Seventeenth-Century France The beginning of the seventeenth century heralded a new era for the kingdom of France: after four decades of civil war a new dynasty of Bourbon kings took power, and wielded it until the French Revolution. This module examines the reigns of Louis XVI s predecessors, Louis XIII and his son Louis XIV (the Sun King of Versailles ) from 1610 to It focuses on the political and social challenges involved in asserting the absolute authority of the new regime, and examines the claim that the political and social roots of the French Revolution lay in these periods of rule. Knowledge of the French language is not required, since readings (documents and secondary sources) on the workings of the royal court, popular revolts, noble faction and rebellion, etc. will be provided in translation. HI2113 Dr Tomás Finn Making and Breaking of Britain in the Twentieth Century This module asks what it means to be British. The twentieth century ended with the opening of the National Assembly of Wales and a parliament in Scotland. These were in many ways unexpected and unlikely events. It was Scotland s first parliament for 300 years and the first in Wales for almost 600 years. This module considers the factors that led to their establishment and may in turn lead to the break-up of Britain, along with the ties that continue to unite the country. It examines not just the question of national identity especially for the Scots and Welsh, but also the phenomenon of English nationalism. Topics include the impact of two world wars, the decline of the British Empire, economic challenges, the European Union and the political awakening of both women and the working classes. By considering the long and short term factors that led to devolution, this module helps us to understand what it is to be English, Welsh and Scottish within a British context. HI465 Dr Kimberly LoPrete European Encounters with the Mongols This examines Europeans encounters with the Mongols from the initial shock and outrageous rumours after the Mongols destructive attacks on central European cities in the 1240s to the studied attempts--through fact-finding and other diplomatic embassies--both to acquire accurate knowledge of the Mongols way of life and to forge alliances with some of them against the Muslim powers of the middle east. Emphasis will be on the considered discussion of contemporary reports, most notably those by the papal envoy John of 'Planus Carpinus' and by William of Rubruck, sent by the French king Louis IX, in attempts to see how knowledge of the Mongols and central Asia affected Europeans views of themselves and their wider world. Core readings include: History of the Mongols by John of 'Planus Carpinus' in C. Dawson, ed., The Mongol Mission: Narratives and Letters of the Franciscan Missionaries in Mongolia and China in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries (1955) - Mission of Friar William of Rubruck: His Journey to the Court of the Great Khan Möngke, , ed. & trs. P. Jackson (1990) - P. Jackson, The Mongols and the West, (2005) 21 July 2014 Page 1 of 6

2 HI548.I Dr Sarah Mc Mann Primary Sources, Secondary Literature, and Debates.I: Being Irish: Identifying and Creating Ethnicity in an Early Medieval Context CC211 Early Greece Dr Edward Herring This module is run by the Classics department and is available only to Single Honours BA (2BA11) History students. Details for this module are on the Classics website. HI208 The Two Irelands in the 20th Century Dr John Cunningham This module will explain the process whereby Ireland was partitioned into two states, the effectively independent dominion of the Irish Free State and the home rule state of Northern Ireland. It will also follow the course of both states after partition, focusing on how both dealt with early threats to their authority and the economic difficulties faced by them in the 1930s. The differing experiences of both states in World War II and the effect of that in solidifying partition will also be examined. Other themes discussed include the evolution of southern Ireland to an independent republic; its growing role in the international community through membership of the European Union and the United Nations; the emergence of the troubles and the end of home rule in Northern Ireland; and relations between both states throughout the period of the module. HI211 Medieval Ireland 5th-9th century Dr Máirín MacCarron This module comprises a survey of the history, politics, culture, literature and society of Ireland in the Early Middle Ages (from c. AD 400 to c. AD 800). It traces the transition from a so-called 'tribal' society to one in which 'dynastic' politics are the norm, and explains how that change is reflected in society. It ends with an assessment of the Viking impact in Ireland. The lectures cover such themes as Early Irish (Brehon) law and institutions; politics and society; the origins of Irish artistic and literary culture; the beginnings of Christianity and the later evolution of the Irish Church; the Irish abroad, and the Vikings. Students are introduced to some of the original documentary material used by historians. HI2110 Making Ireland English: Dr Pádraig Lenihan This is a survey course designed to introduce students to debates and interpretations surrounding the formative political, economic, military and social events and themes of early modern Ireland. The survey takes as its organizing grand narrative the multifaceted conflicts between a centralizing Tudor and Stuart state and local or native elites be they Gaelic, Old English, Irish, or English of Ireland. 21 July 2014 Page 2 of 6

3 HI2111 Dr Laurence Marley Ireland Under the Union: This module provides a survey of Anglo-Irish relations in the long nineteenth century, addressing the main themes of faith, land and political identity and control. Against the backdrop of the British policy of assimilating Ireland under the Union, it examines the great popular campaigns for Catholic emanicipation, repeal of the Union/defence of the Union, and agrarian rights. It examines the 'modern' emergence of the ideologies of nationalism and unionism and the ultimate undoing of the Union. HI292 Dr Róisín Healy Central Europe, Definitions of Central Europe vary, but for the purposes of this course, the term refers to the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Together these two empires covered vast territories from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Adriatic in the south, from which many of the recent EU-accession states emerged. These empires experienced similar tensions to states in western Europe, for instance, over the relationship between church and state, the social consequences of industrialization, and the acquisition of overseas colonies. Their ethnic heterogeneity, however, gave rise to other, more serious divisions. German nationalism clashed with the nationalisms of Poles, Slovaks, Magyars and others. This course examines both the normal problems of Central Europeans at this time and those that derived from the clash of nationalisms in these two empires. Figures familiar to western Europeans, such as Bismarck, William II and Francis Joseph I, all make appearances, as do others who are better known to central Europeans, such as Józef Piłsudski, Tomas Masaryk, and Rosa Luxemburg. HI459 Prof. Steven Ellis The Tudors: Religion, State and Society The Tudors were the first Welsh dynasty on the English throne, and after recovering from a shaky start, shortage of male heirs led to the accession of a Scottish king, James VI, on the death of the last Tudor, Elizabeth I, in By then, however, the nature of the Tudor state had been substantially transformed from the medieval patrimony acquired by Henry Tudor in Central control of outlying territories, Ireland, Wales, and the English north, had been extended and consolidated; the monarch had replaced the pope as supreme governor of what was now a state church organized on broadly Protestant lines; and a more law-abiding, gentry-dominated, civil society had gradually developed even in outlying parts to challenge the territorial magnates, armed retainers, and their numerous tenantry. Aspects of these changes particularly life at court are familiar to the general public through popular works by David Starkey and TV series like The Tudors ; but what was life really like under the Tudors in not-so-merry England? This module attempts to address that question. HI493 Dr Niall Ó Ciosáin Economy and Society in early Modern Europe This is a course in the economic and social history of western Europe in the period immediately preceding the industrial revolution. It is organised around four elements: the material conditions and economic activities of pre-industrial Europe; the relationship between economic activity and politics, in particular the development of states as revenue-raising mechanisms; the relationship between material developments and culture, including topics such as changes in communication, the development of literacy and printing; and the growing European dominance of the world which was fully established by the late eighteenth century. 21 July 2014 Page 3 of 6

4 Semester: 2 HI166.II Dr Tomás Finn Ireland in the 1950s This colloquium examines perceptions of the 1950s in Ireland as a lost decade. It considers the economic stagnation from which the country suffered but also looks at the emergence of a culture of inquiry and many of the policies that shaped contemporary Ireland. By the end of this module, students will: Be familiar with key political and social controversies of this period Understand the main social and economic problems facing Ireland Be familiar with historiographical debates on this period Identify relevant material, both primary and secondary sources, relating to Ireland in the 1950s HI429.II Prof. Steven Ellis The Mid-Tudor Crisis, The module focuses on the English state in the period from the death of Henry VIII ( ) through the reigns of Edward VI ( ) and Mary I (1553-8) to the start of the reign of Elizabeth I ( ). At a time when kings were expected to rule as well as reign, King Henry was succeeded by his young son, Edward, and on the latter s death, aged only 15, by the two half-sisters, Mary (who defeated an attempt by Lady Jane Grey to pervert the Tudor succession) and then Elizabeth. The absence of a male ruler was thus a major part of the crisis, but in addition Edward s reign saw a lurch towards Protestantism, with a Catholic reaction under Mary, and then more Protestantism under Elizabeth. These religious changes sparked popular unrest and rebellion and this was also fuelled by social unrest arising out of inflation and demographic growth. The module will thus assess the nature of the crisis, with particular reference to politics, religious developments, socio-economic change, and popular unrest. HI494 British Social Movements from Dr Sarah Anne Buckley From 1945, Britain's political and cultural landscape has been changed by social movements campaigning on issues of gender, race, disability, sexuality, the environment, and peace. This colloquium will address these movements, while also assessing the extent to which they resulted in political, social and economic change. From early attempts to decriminalize gay sex to the movement against globalization, this course will look at a range of topics previously neglected by historians of post-war Britain. In doing so, it will question not only the radicalism of individual movements, but how they fragmented in the 1980s and the extent to which they affected the political agenda. HI572 Dr Mary Harris Irish Ideologies and Activists, This colloquium focuses on prominent Irish nationalist, republican, unionist, feminist and socialist figures of the period. It examines their writings, relating them to their Irish and international contexts. It considers their use of the mosquito press, demonstrations, agitprop and other means of conveying their message and assesses their impact. 21 July 2014 Page 4 of 6

5 CC228 Dr Mark Stansbury The History of the Roman Empire This module is run by the Classics department and is available only to Single Honours BA (2BA11) History students. Details for this module are on the Classics website HI170 Dr Gearóid Barry Europe, This is a survey course of politics and society across Europe since the First World War. It will pay special attention to key states such as Germany, France and the Soviet Union and key themes such as the role of political ideology, ethnic conflict, decolonization and the process of European integration. Students will be exposed to a broad range of historiographical interpretations, seeking to a give a holistic overview that does not excessively privilege Western Europe or the totalitarian states. HI2100 Dr Kevin O'Sullivan Ireland in a Global Conext, What does Irish history look like when told as part of a much broader European and global narrative? This module examines the major themes in Irish history - state-building and economic crisis in the 1920s and the 1930s, neutrality in the Second World War, economic liberalisation, globalisation, social, cultural and political evolution - all as part of a global narrative of change. It concludes with a question: where should we locate Irish history in the twentieth century? HI2102 Dr Enrico Dal Lago The Modern United States, This course will introduce students to the history and historiography of the United States between the end of the Civil War and the last presidential elections. Specific themes will include racial politics in the U.S. South, expansion into the West, industrialization, imperialism, the two world wars and the making of the U.S. global power, the Cold War, the 1960s with the Civil Rights Movement, the student protest, and Vietnam, and finally the long conservative backlash from Nixon to Bush, Jr. HI2112 Dr Pádraig Lenihan Causes & Consequences of the 'Glorious' Revolution: Ireland This is a survey course which takes as its pivot the Williamite revolution in Ireland and the Ascendancy or Penal Era that followed. It begins with the public conversion of the future James II which destabilized English politics and ends with the third and penultimate Catholic relief act which effectively marked the end of the penal era. The survey emphasizes the study of contemporary texts responding the formative political, economic, military and social events and themes of the period. 21 July 2014 Page 5 of 6

6 HI262 Dr Kimberly LoPrete Medieval Europe c This survey introduces students to key actors, events and ideas that shaped culture, politics and religious affairs in the central middle ages a period that saw great experimentation and expansion followed by the development of legal and administrative structures to centralise monarchs powers in both church and states. Topics treated in lectures include how lordship shaped knightly, clerical, peasant and burgess communities; papal reform and Christian kingship; the Norman impact in England and south Italy; reconquista and the first crusade; new religious movements, both orthodox and heterodox; the rise of universities. s are complemented by the discussion in tutorials of primary sources devoted to such themes as medieval warfare; the relations of kings and prelates; the charismatic religious figures Peter Waldo and Francis of Assisi; the purpose and reach of inquisitors; and legal compiliations like the canons of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), Magna Carta (1215) and the Constitutions of Melfi (1231). HI267 Prof. Steven Ellis Reformation Europe At the beginning of the sixteenth century, western Europeans shared a common religious identity as members of the catholic church. By 1563, European society had altered irrevocably, with the unity wrought by religious affiliation replaced by an array of conflicting churches and sects. This period, commonly known as the Reformation, was an era of unprecedented change in European history, with enormous and enduring significance for the political and cultural development of Europe. Reformation Europe will trace the inauspicious beginnings of the Reformation in 1517, when the scholarly monk Martin Luther defied pope and emperor by refusing to retract his criticisms of catholic doctrines and devotions, such as indulgences. It will examine the origins of the protest, asking what longer term political, cultural and social trends contributed to its outbreak, and transformed an isolated intellectual debate into a revolution. It will also trace the rapid growth of support for dissent and reform, followed by the radicalisation and fragmentation of the new movement as it spread across the German lands, and into England and Scotland, Switzerland and France. The political and social implications of the Reformation were thrashed out in revolts and wars, such as the Peasants Revolt (1524), and the French civil wars (1562), which will form case studies in the module. 21 July 2014 Page 6 of 6