Encounter the Past:From Ancient Egypt to the War on Terror University of Southampton History Department Year 1 Module Choices 2016-17
ContentsIntroduction / How to Select Modules ………………………………………………………………………………………………1Module List………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4Semester 1 Core Modules………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6-9Semester 1 Optional Modules…………………………………………………………………………………………………….10-39Semester 2 Core Modules…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..40-45Semester 2 Optional Modules…………………………………………………………………………………………………….46-89Index by Historical Period………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..90
IntroductionBe bold! In coming to Southampton, you are joining an incredibly dynamic community of scholars,whose broad expertise and varied interests are reflected in the original and thought-provokingmodules available. Take the time to explore what is on offer by reading the overviews, consideringthe lists of topics each module includes, and enjoying the sample sources and commentariesprovided. Do not be put off by things which you may not yet have heard of, or studied previously.Getting the most out of your time at university means seizing the opportunity to broaden yourhorizons and challenge yourself intellectually, and that is exactly what this varied curriculum offersyou. Just as the staff in this department are pushing the boundaries of historical knowledge andunderstanding, so should you be on both an academic and a personal level.We wish you all the best for the upcoming year, and hope this booklet helps you make the most ofthe diverse options available to you. How to Select Your ModulesFor students reading History:In both semesters there are compulsory modules that are meant to introduce you to new areas ofhistory; HIST1151 World Histories in semester 1 and HIST1150 World Ideologies in semester 2. Theseare double modules and are worth 30 credits each; they will make up half of your time in eachsemester.To balance the big compulsory modules, in each semester you take two optional Cases and Contextsmodules, worth 15 credits each. Most of this brochure is given over to summaries of these modules.If you are taking the History programme you are required to take one module principally concernedwith pre-1750 history in either semester during year 1. Of course, you may take more than one ifyou want to. For clarity’s sake, the following tables present the modules from each semester, andthose which count as pre-1750 are identified by yellow highlighting. If you do not choose one ormore of these in the ballot, you will be required to change your selection, as this is a condition forpassing the first year.For students reading joint degrees involving History:In both semesters, half of your time will be given to your other subject, so look at the informationfrom that department about what you need to do.In history, your semester 1 will consist of the big compulsory module HIST1151 World Histories,which is meant to introduce you to new areas of history. Your semester 2 in history will consist oftwo of the options on offer in that semester, and you can choose what you want from that which isavailable.If you taking the Modern History and Politics programme, you can only take post-1750 optionalmodules, and so are restricted to those which are not highlighted in yellow. 1
For students reading Ancient History:In both semesters there are compulsory modules that are meant to introduce you to ancient historyand broaden your understanding of the field; HIST1155 Introduction to the Ancient World insemester 1 is worth 30 credits, and in semester 2 there are two worth 15 credits each, HIST1154Ancient History: Sources and Controversies and ARCH1062/HIST1130 Wonderful Things.To balance these, you choose two optional modules in each semester, picking from the historical,archaeological or cultural modules on offer.For further details for all of these degree programmes, and for more information on joint degrees,see: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/history/undergraduate/courses.page?Semester 1 optional modulesHIST 1011 The First World WarHIST 1029 New World SlaveryHIST 1160 Fascism and the Italian peopleHIST 1074 The Battle of AgincourtHIST 1085 German Jews in Great Britain after 1933HIST 1089 Histories of EmpireHIST 1102 The End of the WorldHIST 1109 Terrorists, Tyrants & TechnologyHIST 1159 Consuls, Dictators & EmperorsHIST 1133 Passages in a Middle Eastern TragedyHIST 1134 The Murder of Edward IIHIST 1145 From Shah to AyatollahHIST 1148 CastlesHIST 1158 Liberté, Egalité, BeyoncéHIST 1019 The First Crusade 2
Semester 2 optional modulesHIST 1008 A Tudor Revolution in GovernmentHIST 1012 Who is Anne Frank?HIST 1015 McCarthyismHIST 1020 The French RevolutionHIST 1058 Russia in Revolution 1905-1917HIST 1062 Rebellions and Uprisings in the Age of the TudorsHIST 1076 God’s Own LandHIST 1087 Pope Innocent IIIHIST 1093 The Reign of Philip IIHIST 1094 Henry VIII: Reputation and RealityHIST 1106 Emperor Constantine the GreatHIST 1111 Gandhi and GandhismHIST 1119 The Long Summer?HIST 1124 Heroes and VillainsHIST 1159 Consuls, Dictators & EmperorsHIST 1136 Siena to Southampton: Medieval Towns and CitiesHIST 1137 Revolutionary AmericaHIST 1145 From Shah to AyatollahHIST 1146 Joan of ArcHIST 1147 The Real Downton AbbeyHIST 1153 Alexander the Great and his LegacyARCH 1062 Wonderful ThingsHISTXXXX The Roman Army in Britain 3
Module ListHistory Year 1 Semester 1Core ModulesHIST1151 - World Histories (compulsory for all students reading history and joint degrees EXCEPTancient history and joints)………………………………………………………………………………………………....……………..6HIST1155 - Introduction to the Ancient World (compulsory for ancient history and joint students)....8Cases and Contexts Optional Modules: All will run at 30, but some may need extra seminarsdepending on recruitmentHIST1011 - The First World War……………………………………………………………….………………………………………10HIST1019 - The First Crusade……………………………………………………………………………………………………………12HIST1029 - New World Slavery…………………………………………………………………………...…………………………..14HIST1074 - The Battle of Agincourt………………………………………………………………………………………………….16HIST1085 - German Jews in Great Britain after 1933……………………………………………………………………….18HIST1102 - The End of the World: Apocalyptic Visions of History…………………………………...……………….20HIST1109 - Terrorists, Tyrants and Technology: America’s “War on Terror”…………………………….………22HIST1113 - The Crimean War…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24HIST1126 - Consuls, Dictators and Emperors: Roman Politics in the First Century BC……………….……..26HIST1133 - Passages in a Middle Eastern Tragedy: Israel, Palestine, Islam and Ourselves……....……….28HIST1134 - The Murder of Edward II………………………………………………………………………………………………..30HIST1145 - From Shah to Ayatollah: The Establishment of the Clerical Power in Iran (1979 toToday)...................................................................................................................................................32HIST1148 - Castles: Military Technology and Social Change from the Middle Ages to the Modern…..34HIST1160 - Fascism and the Italian People…………………………………………………………………………………..…36HIST1158 - Liberté, Egalité, Beyoncé: Woman’s History in Modern Britain……...………………………………38History Year 1 Semester 2Core ModulesHIST1150 - World Ideologies (compulsory for all single degree history students)…………………………….40 4
HIST1154 - Ancient History: Sources and Controversies (compulsory for ancient history and jointstudents)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….42ARCH1XXX/HIST1130 - Wonderful things (compulsory for ancient history and joint students)………..44Cases and Contexts Optional ModulesHIST1008 - A Tudor Revolution in Government?..................................................................................46HIST1012 - Who is Anne Frank?............................................................................................................48HIST1015 – McCarthyism…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………50HIST1020 - The French Revolution……………………………………………………………………………………………………52HIST1058 - Russia in Revolution……………………………………………………………………………………………………….54HIST1062 - Rebellions and Uprisings in the Age of the Tudors………………………………………………………….56HIST1076 - God’s Own Land: Exploring Pakistan’s Origins and History ……………………………..…………….58HIST1087 - Pope Innocent III: (1198-1216): Power, Politics and Pastoral Care …………………………………60HIST1093 - The Reign of Philip II, King of Spain and Portugal, 1556 – 1598………………..……………………62HIST1094 - Henry VIII: Reputation and Reality…………………………………………………………………………………64HIST1106 - Emperor Constantine the Great: From Just Church to State Church …………………...………..66HIST1111 - Gandhi and Gandhism……………………………………………………………………………………………………68HIST1119 - The Long Summer? Edwardian Britain 1901 - 1914...........................................................70HIST1124 - Heroes and Villains: Culture and the British Empire, 1870-1914.…………………...………………72HIST1126 - Consuls, Dictators and Emperors: Roman Politics in the First Century BC……………….……..74HIST1136 - Siena to Southampton: Medieval Towns and Cities.……………………………………………………….76HIST1137 - Revolutionary America…………………………………………………………………………………………………..78HIST1145 - From Shah to Ayatollah: The Establishment of the Clerical Power in Iran (1979 toToday)...................................................................................................................................................80HIST1146 - Joan of Arc……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..82HIST1147 - The Real Downton Abbey……………………………………………………………………………………………….84HIST1153 - Alexander the Great and his Legacy……………………………………………………………………………….86HIST1XXX - The Roman Army in Britain: Life on the Northern Frontier…………………………………………….88 5
Year 1 Semester 1 - Core Module (30 credits)* HIST 1151 – World Histories: Contact, Conflict and Culture from Ancient to Modern*Compulsory for all students reading history and joint degrees EXCEPT Ancient History and jointsModule OverviewThe idea of historical periods—the division of the past into blocks such as ‘the middle ages’ or ‘themodern period’—is fundamental to how historians and the general public write and think about thepast. The aim of this module is to introduce you to how different historical periods are defined, andhow the idea of historical periods affects the way that history is written and understood due tothese basic questions and assumptions. As well as introducing these ideas, the module will alsoprovide you with the opportunity to discuss and debate some of the most important features ofthese periods, including the nature of cultural contact and conflict between world civilisations, thehistory of empires, and dynamics of change in world histories from ‘antiquity’ to ‘the modernperiod’. In this way, the module will provide you with background knowledge useful throughout therest of your degree and beyond.Special Features of this Module Wide-ranging introduction to historical periods Wide-ranging introduction to historical methodologies Intensive skills training for degree-level written work Global historical coverage 6
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 60 20 2,000-word essay based on primary sources 20 Written evaluation of a seminal journal article Group presentation on a comparative themeSample SourceSoviet porcelain designer and visual artist Mikhail Adamovich designed this plate in 1921. CalledKapital, the plate shows a revolutionary worker stamping on the word ‘capital’ in futurist style. Theplate was one of a series designed by Adamovich in the late 1910s and early 1920s celebrating therevolution: employed within what was known by then as the State porcelain factory, Adamovich wasfamed for his works on agitprop and futurist design. The most important message from this plate isthat industrial power after the revolution was to be handed over from the managers to the workers(proletariat): the fires, vivid colours and sharp lines embody power and revolutionary energy; thiswas a direct, modern challenge to the traditional order. The plate may be familiar to you already: itwas object number 96 as chosen by the director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor in the recentradio series A History of the World in 100 Objects (2010). 7
Year 1 Ancient History Core Module (30 credits)* HIST1155 - Introduction to the Ancient World (Dr Louise Revell) *Compulsory for all students reading Ancient History and associated joint degreesModule OverviewThe Ancient World has profoundly influenced subsequent generations of history, and helps us tounderstand the foundations of today’s world. This module provides an introduction to thismomentous period of history from Dark Age Greece to the emergence of Islam. We will exploremajor civilisations including Classical Greece, the Hellenistic world, the Roman Republic, the rise andfall of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire up to the rise of Islam. This module willintroduce you to central themes in Greek, Roman and Byzantine history, assessing politicalprocesses, socio-cultural changes and ideological developments. A wide array of evidence will beinvestigated from the literary to the material and visual, such as historical writings, art, architecture,archaeology, inscriptions, and philosophy. Throughout we will ask major questions: what were thekey turning points and markers of change in the Ancient World? What were the distinctive featuresof the major ancient civilisations? How did the dominant civilisations interact with other culturesand societies under their rule? Importantly, we will also investigate the reception of the AncientWorld: how has it been understood by subsequent generations and what is its significance andimpact throughout history? In this way, the module will provide you with an overview and importantbackground knowledge that will support you in the rest of your degree and beyond.Indicative List of Seminar Topics Minoan/Mycenaean to Dark Age Greece Classical Greece Hellenistic world Greece and its Neighbours Republican Rome Roman Empire Rome and its Neighbours Constantine and the fall of Rome Byzantium and the rise of Islam The reception of the Ancient World (including a visit to the British Museum) 8
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 20 60 One 1,000-word commentary exercise (2x500 word) 20 Two 2,000-word essays based on primary sources Group presentation on a comparative themeSample SourceHow striking and grand is the spectacle presented by the period with which I purpose to deal, will bemost clearly apparent if we set beside and compare with the Roman dominion the most famousempires of the past, those which have formed the chief theme of historians. Those worthy of beingthus set beside it and compared are these. The Persians for a certain period possessed a great ruleand dominion, but so often as they ventured to overstep the boundaries of Asia they imperilled notonly the security of this empire, but their own existence. The Spartans, after having for many yearsdisputed the hegemony of Greece, at length attained it but to hold it uncontested for scarce twelveyears. The Macedonian rule in Europe extended but from the Adriatic region to the Danube, whichwould appear a quite insignificant portion of the continent. But the Romans have subjected to theirrule not portions, but nearly the whole of the world and possess an empire which is not onlyimmeasurably greater than any which preceded it, but need not fear rivalry in the future. In thecourse of this work it will become more clearly intelligible by what steps this power was acquired,and it will also be seen how many and how great advantages accrue to the student from thesystematic treatment of history. Polybius Histories 1.2This passage from the the Greek historian Polybius (2nd century BC) demonstrates the acute interestthe ancients had in their past, and their ability to categorize and compare different peoples,empires, and periods. Polybius ultimately sees Rome as the greatest of all ancient civilizations, andseeks to explain its rise to a Greek audience. Was Polybius right in his assessment? In this module wewill trace the rise and fall of some of those earlier societies and discover what happened to Romeand its neighbours after Polybius’ time.9
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST 1011 – The First World War (Professor Neil Gregor)Module OverviewThe aim of this course is to examine how changing conceptions of what the study of the past shouldinvolve have affected the work of historians studying the First World War. You will analyse ways inwhich different historical interpretations are formed not merely through differences of opinionconcerning the content and significance of the text per se, but also as a product of differentmethodological approaches. You will examine and analyse ways in which historical interpretations ofthe First World War are rooted in consideration of varied forms of textual evidence. You willdemonstrate through systematic and guided study of the different types of historical literatureavailable on the First World War, the ability to assess primary and secondary source material.Course Content Diplomatic origins of World War One Its nature as a military conflict The social history of warfare The nature of the home front Its impact on gender relations Impact on the landscape Impact in terms of memorialisation and commemoration 10
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark 20 Assessment Method 40 1 x 1,000-word essay 40 1 x 2,000-word essay 1 x one-hour examinationSample Source‘We started away just after dawn from our camp and I think it was about an hour later that weencountered the enemy. They were on the opposite side of the valley and as we came over the browof the hill they opened on us with rifle fire and shrapnel from about 900 yards. We lost three officersand about 100 men killed and wounded in that half hour. I do not want any more days like thatone…Anyway we drove the Germans back and held them there for eight days. I cannot tell you all Ishould like to, as it would never reach you.’ Private James Mitchell of 7 Church Lane, East Grinstead, wrote a letter to his father on 17 October 1914Many soldiers wrote letters back to loved ones and friends from ‘the front’ for the entirety of theFirst World War. This short extract deals with major areas that we can see appear in many suchletters from soldiers: angst, the shock of life on the front and also the realization that the lettermight not get some, and hence disconnect from ‘normal’ home life. This short source can make usthink about many such themes, and to what extent the war led to radical and disruptive changes indaily life for an entire generation. 11
Year 1 Semester 1 – Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1019 – The First Crusade (Nicholas Kingwell) (14th century manuscript depiction of the battle of Antioch in 1098)Module OverviewHow are modern day relations between Islam and the West to be explained and why does the term‘crusade' carry such emotive resonance for Muslims? To understand these things we have to go backto the beginnings of the crusade movement in 1095 with the appeal of Pope Urban II to WesternChristians to take up arms and liberate Jerusalem from Muslim control. What led tens of thousandsof people to respond to this appeal and leave their homes to undertake such a hazardousenterprise? The module considers this and also explores the experiences and reactions of those whoencountered the First Crusade including Jews, Greeks and Muslims using the testimonies producedat the time, including chronicles, letters, charters and poems. 12
Indicative List of Seminar Topics Pope Urban II’s call for Catholic Europe to take up arms to liberate the Holy City of Jerusalem The origins of the Crusade and the motives of the participants The capture of Jerusalem Study of contemporary chronicles, letters and charters, including Muslim and Jewish sources The composition of the crusading army The military and logistical problems faced by the crusaders The impact of the crusade from the perspective of those most impacted, notably Muslims, Jews and Eastern Christians Analysis of the difficulty faced by the crusaders in maintaining a Western presence in the EastAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 20 40 Assignment 1 – Commentary Exercise (2 x 500 words) 40 Assignment 2 – Essay (2,000 words) Examination (1 hour)Sample Source“When Pope Urban [II] had said those these and very many similar things in his urbane discourse, heso influenced to one purpose the desires of all who were present, that they cried out, ‘God wills it,God wills it!’” From The Jerusalem History by Robert of RheimsIn his eye-witness account of the spell-binding speech delivered by Pope Urban II at the Council ofClermont in 1095, Robert records the frenzied reaction of the audience of knights and clerics to thepope’s exhortation to relieve their eastern Christian brothers from their alleged sufferings at thehands of Muslims, and to fight to liberate Jerusalem for Christianity. His words set Christendomalight and initiated the expedition that we know today as the First Crusade which resulted in thecapture of Jerusalem four years later. Urban’s appeal to fight for Christ was to have long lastingconsequences, for it sparked not only the medieval period’s preoccupation with crusading, but it wasto have profound and long lasting effects on relations between the West and Islam which are stillbeing played out today. 13
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST 1029 – New World Slavery (Dr David Cox)Module OverviewThis module will explore New World slavery, specifically in the context of the United States and theWest Indies. Within this context we will consider broad interpretations of slavery, from abolitionistcritiques of the nineteenth century through to revisionist studies of the 1970s and beyond. We willalso explore new approaches to the study of slavery and introduce you to different types ofevidence; for example, the archaeological record, slave narratives and planters’ journals.Indicative List of Seminar TopicsSeminar are likely to include: Origins of slavery The Colonial Era The American Revolution Antebellum slavery – including slaves and work, slave communities, and slave resistance Slavery and the Civil War Abolition of slavery and freeing slaves 14
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 20 40 Assignment 1 – Commentary Exercise (2 x 500 words) 40 Assignment 2 – Essay (2,000 words) Examination (1 hour)Sample Source Illustration from Joel Chandler Harris, Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (New York: D. Appleton, 1880)Because slaves rarely wrote about their lives (it was illegal for slaves to learn to read and write),historians of slavery have to use non-traditional primary sources such as the folktales told by theenslaved. The first collection of African-American folktales was published in 1880 and features anumber of stories in which the Trickster (a rabbit) uses his cunning to get the better of larger andmore powerful animals (such as the fox, pictured above). A number of historians have argued thatthe Trickster represented the slave, whilst the larger creature stood for the white slaveholder. Iflooked at in this way, the tales seem less simple entertainment and more a way to teach other slavesthe importance of using their wits to survive the harsh and dehumanizing realities of slavery. In theUnited States, violent resistance to slavery was suicidal, but slaves could resist their masters insubtler ways. 15
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1074 - The Battle of Agincourt (Dr Andrew King)Module OverviewAt Agincourt in 1415, ‘the flower of French chivalry' was destroyed by an English army led by HenryV, invading France in pursuit of his claim to the French crown. It is one of the most celebrated battlesin English history, made famous by Shakespeare. But how do we know what actually happened onthat St Crispin's day? How accurately can the dramatic but confused events of the battle bereconstructed? Can we determine exactly how and why the outnumbered English managed to inflictsuch a catastrophic defeat on the French? The module explores the often contradictory chronicleaccounts of the battle, both English and French, and contemporary and later; we shall examine theaccuracy of these accounts, and how they are influenced and shaped by national and political biases,and cultural factors such as religion and chivalry.Indicative List of Seminar Topics Why did the Battle of Agincourt happen? Anglo-French relations in the early fifteenth century How and why was the battle commented on by chroniclers? Early literary responses to the battle Tudor depictions of the battle – Hall, Holinshed and Henry V How has the battle been depicted in TV documentaries? 16
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 20 40 1 x commentaries (1,000 words) 40 1 x essay (2,000 words) 1x exam (1 hour)Sample source‘In pursuing the king of England’s victory and seeing his enemy defeated and that they could nolonger resist him, the English had started to take prisoners hoping all to become rich. That indeedwas a valid belief, for all the great lords were at the battle.* Once taken, they had their helmetsremoved by their captors. Then a great misfortune befell them. Many of the rearguard [of theFrench army], in which were several French, Bretons, Gascons, Poitevins and others who had beenput to flight, regrouped. They had with them a large number of standards and ensigns and showedsigns of wanting to fight, marching forward in battle order. When the English saw them together inthis fashion it was ordered by the king of England that each man should kill his prisoner. … When thewretched French who had caused the death of these noble knights, they all took to flight to savetheir own lives if they could.’ * [This sentence is in Le Fèvre’s account but not Waurin’s] The Battle of Agincourt: Sources and Interpretations, ed. Anne Curry (Woodbridge, 2000), pp. 164-5The battle of Agincourt is one of the famous victories in English history; and Henry V’s massacre ofprisoners at the battle is one of the most infamous incidents at the battle. This account justifiesHenry’s actions, by presenting them in terms of military necessity, caused by ‘the wretched French’of the rearguard. What makes this particularly interesting, is that this account was written in France.It is taken from an account of the battle which appears in two chronicles: Jean le Fèvre’s Chronique,and Jean de Waurin’s Gathering of the Chronicles and Ancient Histories of Great Britain, now calledEngland. Both authors were in the service of the Dukes of Burgundy, a noble French dynasty of royaldescent, who ruled over much of western France and Flanders, and followed their own policy –independently of their nominal lords, the kings of France. Le Fèvre was a Frenchman and a herald;Waurin was the bastard son of a Flemish nobleman, and a soldier. Both were present at the battle, leFèvre as a 19 year-old herald accompanying the English, and Waurin as a 15 year-old with theFrench. Both were therefore eye-witnesses; yet their accounts are virtually identical, barring a few,but significant, differences. Furthermore, both were writing decades after the battle, with thebenefit of hindsight.So how reliable are these accounts in constructing what happened in the battle? Are they moredependable because their authors were there? Was one drawing on the work of the other – or didthey compose their accounts in consultation together? Why do these French accounts justify theEnglish massacre of French prisoners? Were they influenced by the long-standing rivalries andantagonisms between the dukes of Burgundy and the king’s of France? The course will explore howthe differing agendas and circumstances behind the different sources for the battle of Agincourthave shaped the perceptions of a famous historical event. 17
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1085 - German Jews in Great Britain after 1933 (Professor Joachim Schloër)Module OverviewThe module tries to build a bridge between the fields of German-Jewish history and the history of Jewsin Britain. It will give an overview of the situation of Jews in Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries,focussing on the Weimar Republic and the years shortly before and after 1933. It explores theemigration policy of the regime in Germany and the British attitudes toward immigration. The modulewill then take a closer look at the processes of immigration (organisation; arrival; distribution in thecountry) and at the different ways of integration and adaption in Britain. Special attention will be givento personal memoirs and other personal documents as a source for the research of this topic.Indicative List of Seminar Topics The history of Jews in Germany since the Enlightenment Jewish life and culture in Weimar Germany and in inter-War Britain Jewish reactions to the Nazi seizure of power in Germany Emigration politics in Germany and Europe Arriving in Britain Personal documents of German-Jewish immigrants German-Jewish circles and “landsmannshaften” in Britain Contributions (Film, Literature etc.) Remembering the Kindertransport Exhibitions: Past and Present 18
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 50 50 1 x Essay (2,000 words) 1 x ExamSample Source‘Miss Rosenthal came to England five months ago to learn English and whilst she was trying veryhard she found that she was physically not fit to adapt herself to the duties she was requested to do.Miss Rosenthal is a typically academic type of girl and when we were asked to interest ourselves inher we did so because we actually needed somebody on our foreign department. We requiresomebody who is especially acquainted with German books on technical and general subjects andshe has had five years experience in bookshops in Frankfurt and Heilbronn. Through variouschannels we have tried to get an assistant suitable to do that work, but have not been successful.We are the only bookshop in Birmingham who sells these types of books and the requests for thesame are definitely increasing. It is therefore essential that we should have somebody well versed inthese particular lines in our bookshop. We shall feel greatly obliged if you will reconsider yourdecision conveyed to us in your letter. We are prepared to give Miss Rosenthal every opportunity toincrease her knowledge of English so that she will not only find a post with us, but prepare for afuture career which unfortunately has been denied to her in her home country.’ The letter belongs to a private collection that will be donated to the city archives of Heilbronn, Germany. It has been published in Joachim Schlör, ‘Liesel, it’s time for you to leave’. Die Flucht der Familie Rosenthal vor nationalsozialistischer Verfolgung. Heilbronn Stadtarchiv 2016The owner of the Hudson bookshop in Birmingham sends a letter to the British Home Office, earlyOctober 1937. Strict immigration laws make it difficult for employers to hire refugees. LieselRosenthal came to England in May 1937, as a domestic servant. In the course of the following 18months she would manage to bring her parents and her brother out of Nazi Germany. The imageoverleaf is a document which shows that Liesel Rosenthal has found the guarantors who wouldfinancially support her parents after their immigration – six months before the beginning of the war.The German Jewish Aid Committee in London’s Bloomsbury House played a crucial role in the effortsto integrate Jewish refugees. 19
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1102 - The End of the World: Apocalyptic Visions of History (Dr Helen Spurling)Module OverviewApocalyptic texts are important because they represent an expression of political turmoil or socialand cultural fears. They shed light on attitudes to historical events and to surrounding cultures atcrucial periods in the development of world history. ‘The End of the World’ introduces you to thecultural and historical contexts of apocalyptic ideology in the Late Antiquity (Palestine under Greekand Roman rule up to the rise of Islam). It explores how concepts of the end of time and afterlifepresent a response to historical events such as the Jewish War against Rome or the Muslim Arabconquests. This module examines the Jewish and Christian communities that produced apocalypses,the historical value of apocalypses for the period of late Antiquity, and what they teach aboutintercultural relations in this period.Indicative List of Seminar Topics The rise of Islam Messianism Life after Death Justice and injustice Jewish war against Rome Byzantine-Persian wars 20
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark 20 Assessment Method 40 1 x 1,000-word essay 40 1 x 2,000-word essay 1 hour examinationSample Source‘On the second night I had a dream, and behold, there came up from the sea an eagle that hadtwelve feathered wings and three heads. […] And I looked, and behold, the eagle flew with his wings,to reign over the earth and over those who dwell in it. And I saw how all things under heaven weresubjected to him, and no one spoke against him. […] you will surely disappear, you eagle, and yourterrifying wings, and your most evil little wings, and your malicious heads, and your most evil talons,and your whole worthless body, so that the whole earth, freed from your violence, may be refreshedand relieved.’ 4 Ezra 11 in Charlesworth, J. H., The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol.1 (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1983), 548-549.Over the centuries, the threat of an impending apocalypse has often been used as a literary mediumto express social and political change and any accompanying fears. 4 Ezra is a Jewish apocalyptic textfrom the first century CE that provides an indictment of the Roman Empire – the Eagle – in theaftermath of the Jewish War with Rome in 66-70 CE. It provides us with an important subversiveperspective on the unwelcome dominance of Roman rule for the Jews, and their hopes for thedestruction of this ‘worthless’ empire. 21
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1109 - Terrorists, Tyrants and Technology: America’s “War on Terror” (Dr Chris Fuller)Module Overview9/11; jihad; al-Qaeda; War on Terror; Osama bin Laden; Afghanistan; the Taliban; the Bush Doctrine;Iraq; WMDs; waterboarding; targeted killing and drones. America’s War on Terror, launched as aresponse to the terrorist attacks of 11 September, 2001 has created some of the most important andcontroversial themes in foreign policy in the twenty-first century thus far. This module tracks 9/11back to its Cold War origins, answers the frequently asked question “why do they hate us?”, andexplores the policies introduced by the Clinton, G.W. Bush and Obama administrations in theirefforts to counter the ever-evolving terrorist threat.Indicative List of Content What is terrorism? The CIA’s role in the Afghan jihad during the Cold War The rise of the Taliban The roots and ideology of Islamic extremism The foundation of al-Qaeda, and the group’s goals and strategy The Clinton administration’s efforts to combat al-Qaeda 9/11 and the Bush administration’s response The origins, execution and consequences of the Iraq War Counterterrorism policy under the Obama administration 22
Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkCommentary on a selection of primary texts (2 x 500-words) 202,000-word essay from a selection of questions set by the tutor 40Examination (1 hour) 40Sample Source‘[T]he President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations,organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terroristattacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order toprevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations,organizations or persons.’ Senate Joint Resolution 23, 107th Congress, 18 September 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF)Written in the emotional days following the 9/11 attacks and passed through Congress by 420 votesto one, this open-ended authorization granted the president authority to wage war against al-Qaedaand any other group even slightly associated with them, anywhere in the world. It has been used toauthorise American military action in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and Syria.Essentially, the AUMF has served as a licence for a permanent war-footing against terrorists,transforming US foreign policy in the post-9/11 world. 23
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1113 – The Crimean War (Professor David Brown)Module OverviewThe Crimean War (1853-56) was the most important Great Power conflict fought between the end ofthe Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the outbreak of World War One in 1914. Yet its causes areuncertain and the way it was fought was often paradoxical: modern techniques of warfare, mediareporting and medical care did not prevent this being a war characterised by blunder andincompetence, all played out in the glare of public scrutiny. Reputations were made and broken,Great Powers were humbled; we might ask did anyone win this war? Yet on the battlefield andbeyond the implications and lessons of the war were wide-reaching for societies, economies andgovernments. This module therefore asks why did the war break out and how was it fought, whilealso examining its impact and legacy beyond the battlefield.Indicative List of Seminar Topics The war’s impact on international relations and the domestic histories of those countries involved (Russia, Turkey, Britain, France, and Sardinia) The Eastern Question –how the Powers would deal with the anticipated collapse of the Ottoman Empire International relations and the diplomatic origins of war An examination of the importance of the cultural and religious dimensions of a conflict The role of media in the coverage of the war (the “first media war”) Florence Nightingale and the medical shortcomings of the war Military failures and blunders, and the modernising impact of the war Memory and commemoration of the conflict 24
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 20 40 Commentary Exercise (1,000 words) 40 Essay set by the tutor (2,000 words) Exam (1 hour)Sample Source ‘A Consultation about the State of Turkey’, Punch, 17 Sept. 1853This cartoon, published in the British magazine Punch, nicely captures something of what this warwas about. Turkey, the ‘Sick Man of Europe’, lies in bed, while Russia hovers over in the guise ofDeath. Meanwhile Britain (John Bull) and France (Napoleon III) debate how best to remedy thesituation. Such images would have been familiar to 19th century audiences, but raise importantquestions that are not necessarily straightforward: Was Turkey dying? Why was Russia such amenace? What, if anything, could Britain and France do, and why would they bother? 25
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1126 - Consuls, Dictators and Emperors: Roman Politics in the First Century BC (Dr Alan Ross)Module OverviewThe first century BC witnessed the fall of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the firstemperor, Augustus. The first two-thirds of the century were marked by increasingly divisive CivilWars and the emergence of a series of infamous political figures whilst the final third saw thebeginning of the Principate – rule by a single man or Princeps. Augustus ruled alone for more than 40years, and by the time of his death, the political landscape had changed to the extent that there wasno serious thought of returning to the traditional Republic. The first part of the module examines thelate Republic: the system of magistracies, the democratic element, and the emergence ofcharismatic leaders who disrupted this system such as Marius, Sulla and Caesar. The second partdeals with the events following the assassination of Julius Caesar, the emergence of Augustus as soleruler, and the transformation of the Republican institutions to allow for a sole ruler. 26
Indicative List of Seminar Topics % Contribution to Final Mark 20 Introduction: context and sources 40 The Roman Republic: the aristocratic element 40 The Roman Republic: the democratic element Marius and Sulla Pompey Caesar Cicero and New Men Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra A new political system Augustus and the Senate A new era for Rome?Assessment Assessment Method Commentary Exercise (1,000 words) Essay set by the tutor (2,000 words) Exam (1 hour)Sample Source‘From that time on Julius Caesar could not rid himself of the odium of having aspired to the title ofmonarch, although he replied to the people, when they hailed him as king, \"I am Caesar and noking,\" and at the festival of the Lupercalia, when the consul Antony several times attempted to placea crown upon his head as he spoke from the rostra, he put it aside and at last sent it to the Capitol,to be offered to Jupiter Optimus Maximus.’ Suetonius, Life of the Divine JuliusEver since they deposed their last king and established the Republic, the Romans, especially thearistocracy, had a great suspicion of monarchs. Julius Caesar’s seizure of the constitutional office of‘Dictator’ made him seem too much like a dreaded king, as Caesar’s biographer Suetonius alludes tohere. It was Caesar’s monarchical behaviour that hastened his assassination on the floor of theSenate House, an event that also paved the way for a far more politically astute figure – Octavian,the future Emperor Augustus – to learn from Caesar’s shortcomings and finally overthrow theRepublic. 27
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1133 - Passages in a Middle Eastern Tragedy: Israel, Palestine, Islam and Ourselves (Dr Mark Levene)Module OverviewTaking as its starting point the Israel-Palestine tragedy, on the one hand, the consequences of 9/11on Western thinking and behaviour towards Islam, on the other, this course seeks to place theperplexity, indeed ongoing paroxysm of the contemporary Middle East in a modern world-historicalcontext. It seeks to do this through a series of weekly signpostings introduced by a historically-basedlecture and developed in seminar through a more recent case study or case studies. Particularemphasis will be placed on students participating in and developing seminar themes. The 'dialogue'between lecture and seminar equally aims to draw connections, parallels and disjunctures acrosshistorical time and space.Indicative List of Seminar Topics Power Filthy Lucre War Displacement Resistance Living Together 28
Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final Mark1 x 1,000-word commentary (from a choice of primary texts) 201 x 2,000-word essay 401 hour examination 40Sample Source An aerial view shows the Zaatari refugee camp on July 18, 2013 near the Jordanian city of Mafraq, some 8 kilometres from the Jordanian-Syrian border. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)Zataari today with its nearly 100,000 refugee inhabitants is both a microcosm and symptom of amuch greater crisis. Without historical depth however we cannot and will not be able to understandit. This course offers an opening to that understanding. 29
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1134 - The Murder of Edward II (Dr Craig Lambert)Module OverviewFrom 1327 to 1485 three English kings were deposed, one murdered in the Tower of London andone killed in battle. Edward II was the first to be removed and his deposition, murder or possiblesurvival is one of the most important events in English medieval history. It was the first time anEnglish parliament deposed a divinely anointed monarch and it provided the blueprint for theremoval of future monarchs. After Edward’s deposition several English kings were removed bypopular mandate, channelled through a newly emerging political consciousness. It also ensured thatEnglish kingship developed differently to continental monarchy. Successful English kings ruledthrough parliament, not against it. In order to understand how Edward II was deposed we need tolook at aspects of his reign. In particular how he treated the nobility, his military ineptitude and howthis fostered discontent. We will then examine how chroniclers of the time treated his reign and hiskingship. We also need to consider the development of parliament and how it was used to provide apopular platform, and thus credibility, to the removal of a monarch. Literary characterisations ofEdward II will also be explored through such works as Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II (available onDVD as a play). Marlowe drew upon Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles (1587) for most of hisinformation and so we can use both of these records to see how the character of Edward II wastreated by later writers. More recently, a theory that Edward II escaped custody and survived as ahermit in Italy has been given a new lease of life. We shall examine this historical argument and thewritings of those who oppose it. There is a wealth of historical records and secondary reading nowavailable in translations and online that throw light on Edward’s reign, his murder or possiblesurvival, including the parliament rolls. Through this module you will be introduced to historicalsources of various provenances and how historians have used them.Indicative List of Content Kingship Historical theories Kings as personalities The development of parliament 30
Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final Mark 20Assignment 1 – Commentary on a selection of primary texts(1,000 words) 40 40Assignment 2 – Essay set by the tutor (2,000 words)Examination (1 hour)Sample Source The execution of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, in 1322. From the Luttrell Psalter in the British Library, Add. Mss. 42130, fol. 56.A picture is worth a thousand words. In 1322 Edward II executed his cousin Thomas Earl ofLancaster, the most powerful man in the kingdom after the king. This image features in the LuttrellPsalter, a book of Psalms (c.1330) created for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, a man with Lancastriansympathies. Until 1322 Thomas had led the baronial opposition to Edward’s increasingly tyrannicalrule by championing a series of political and fiscal reforms known as the Ordinances. Frustrated atthe king’s unwillingness to implement the Ordinances Lancaster led a rebellion. In 1322 at the battleof Boroughbridge Lancaster’s forces were defeated and the earl was captured. After a summary trialhe was led away and executed, the first man of his rank to be killed in such a way for over 300 years.Here we see an almost saintly Thomas holding his hands out in prayer while he is executed by a manholding a large sword, designed to represent the king’s tyranny and force. The Earl’s neck isbleeding, an image aimed at showing his path to martyrdom. This image represents much aboutEdward’s reign: the brutality of the age, the break with his nobles and his tyrannical rule that wasencouraged by a cadre of unsuitable and power greedy couturiers. Yet, it also shows thecontradictions and complexities of medieval society. Thomas was no saint who had showed himselfto be a troublesome man unfit to perform the role as leader of the opposition. Yet, several yearsafter his death a cult developed around his tomb and miracles were said to have occurred. Within afew years he was nominated for canonisation. So after his death a man who in life had provedhimself to be a poor leader and a rebel was championed as a saint. 31
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1145 - From Shah to Ayatollah: The Establishment of the Clerical Power in Iran (1979 to Today) (Dr Hormoz Ebrahimnejad)Module OverviewThe 1979 Revolution unexpectedly established a clerical regime in Iran for the first time in its history.What were the roots and consequences of this Revolution? This module surveys this history from ananti-Shah movement initiated by university students culminating in the 1979 Revolution, to theIslamic Revolution. The 1979 and Islamic Revolutions are often discussed as one and the same in thedominant political and even historiographical discourses. In this module we will test the validity ofthis narrative against the developments from 1978 to 1980. In this short period changes occurredwith great speed: At the eve of January 1978 Carter assured over a toast of the New Year in Tehranthat Iran was the isle of stability in the region under the guidance of the Shah; on 16 January 1979the Shah was forced to leave the country for exile and his arch enemy, Khomeini took power inFebruary. In July 1980 the Shah died of cancer and in September Saddam Hussein invaded Iranigniting a full fledge war that lasted eight years. You will also reflect on the rise and consolidation ofthe clerics’ power: Was this the result of a return to an Islamic past or a consequence ofmodernisation and itself represented a form of modernity? Through this discussion, you will get togrips with some of the major concepts in Islam, including the formation of Islam, the relationshipbetween religion and politics, differences between Shi’a and Sunnites, and the concepts of spiritualand political authority. 32
Indicative List of Content The position of the Shiite ulama in Iran in twentieth century The Shah and Khomeini The authority of Shiite Jurisconsults (vali-e Faqih) Shari’ati and a new reading of Islam (Modern Islam, Political Islam or Islamism) Ayatollah Khomeini, before and after 1979 After Khomeini (1989 to today) Ayatollah Khamenei and the military The Clerical power and anti-AmericanismAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 10 500 word Commentary on core reading – summative 40 2,000 word essay – summative 10 500 word Commentary exercise – summative 40 One hour exam - summativeSample Source‘If pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the principles of Islamic religion [under specific circumstances]goes against the interests of the ‘Islamic Government’, the Vali-e Faqih (Islamic Jurisconsult) incharge of the Islamic Government can prohibit the pilgrimage to Mecca.’This excerpt from the book of Ayatollah Khomeini, Hokumat-e Eslami (The Islamic Government),implies that the Islamic Government that he succeeded to establish in Iran in 1979 is more importantthat Islam itself. It indicates the difference between “Islam” as religion on one hand, and “IslamicState” as polity on the other. It also goes a long way towards illustrating the nature of the clericalpower in Iran today.33
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1148 - Castles: Military Technology and Social Change from the Middle Ages to the Modern (Dr Nick Karn)Module OverviewThe castle was one of the most characteristic creations and symbols of the middle ages. They wereadvanced military technology which supported a range of functions; they dominated populationsand secured conquests; they were garrisons, centres of government and elite residences, amongother functions. Within this module, you will examine how the castle developed in terms offunctions and uses. Changing military technology formed perhaps the largest single influence on thedevelopment of the castle, and the module will include consideration of the development of siegetechnology, and especially of the evolution of artillery. Social change also influenced thedevelopment of the castle, for castles depended on the predominance of an aristocratic class itselfsubject to change. Finally, you will look at the end of the castle as a serious military asset, and howsome of its functions and values survived even that.Indicative List of Content The origin of the castle, or, why were there no castles in the early middle ages? Castles and feudal society: functions and form The spread of castles around Europe Castles, innovation and the Crusades Edward I of England and the castles of the conquest of Wales Castles and technology: the origins of artillery and changing castle design Castles and aristocratic culture in the later middle ages Henry VIII and the defence of the nation Elizabethan and Stuart castles: changing functions The end of the castle? Military obsolescence and changing social norms Castles and the Gothic imagination Revision and overview 34
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 0 20 Formative assessment: Prepare and delivery a presentation 40 Summative assessment: Commentary exercise (1,000 words) 40 Essay (2,000 words) Exam (1 hour)Sample Source‘And without delay, setting up engines most skilfully contrived around the castle, and posting anencircling ring of archers in very dense formation, he began to harass the besieged most grievously.On the one hand stones or other missiles launched from the engines were falling and battering themeverywhere, on the other a most fearful hail of arrows, flying around before their eyes, was causingthem extreme affliction; sometimes javelins flung from a distance, or masses of any sort hurled in byhand, were tormenting them, sometimes sturdy warriors, gallantly climbing the steep and loftyrampart, met them in most bitter conflict with nothing but the palisade to keep the two sides apart.In was in fact like this that the king’s men harassed the besieged by daily onslaughts; they, on theirside, defended themselves manfully without giving way until those who were chief in command,without the knowledge of the others, sent secretly to the king and made an agreement concedinghis demand for the surrender of the castle.’ The siege and capture of Faringdon Castle (Berkshire) in 1144 from the anonymous Gesta Stephani, translated by K. R. Potter and R. H. C. Davis (second edition, Oxford: OUP, 1976), p. 181A castle siege could be violent and destructive, and might involve some of the most advancedmilitary hardware of the day—giant catapults and slings, and later cannons—so that sieges couldmake a great impression on contemporaries and observers. The great engines of war could catch theeye, but were not the whole story of castles and sieges. Very few castles were ever captured throughdirect assaults that smashed walls and broke stone. Most sieges were won through bringing pressureto bear on the morale and attitudes of the garrison, and through intimidating the occupants of acastle. The noise and bombardment of siege warfare were principally meant to affect the peoplerather than the walls.This siege ended in a negotiated surrender, and this was normal for sieges. Few ended in violenceand massacres. There was a clear procedure about how this should be done, and how the honourand status of both sides should be protected. There were conventions about when it was acceptablefor a garrison to surrender, when resistance had been sufficient that honour was satisfied. As in thiscase, the approval or acquiescence of senior commanders and lords was essential to the process, sothat garrisons could claim that they were just obeying orders. Honour and duty to lords, and a senseof masculine endurance (note the use of ‘manfully’ above) were fundamental to medieval warfare.35
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1160 - Fascism and the Italian People (Dr Niamh Cullen)Module OverviewThis module will examine the political, social and cultural history of fascist Italy from the rise ofMussolini after World War 1 to the violent and protracted end of the regime between 1943 and1945. The primary focus will be on the impact of the fascist regime on the lives of ordinary Italians,and topics will include militarism and the making of the ‘fascist man’, culture in fascist Italy betweenpropaganda, censorship and entertainment and the impact of fascism on both the urban workingclasses and on the countryside. Fascism’s military and colonial past, both in Africa and Europe will beexamined, while the module will also consider the breakdown of fascist consensus and of the regimeitself between the late 1930s and 1945. Finally, it will also examine the controversial and contestedmemory and legacy of fascism in Italy since 1945. While the focus of the module will be on Italy, itwill also serve as an introduction to the ideology and nature of fascism in the broader context ofinter-war Europe, thus preparing students for the study of other far Right European movements andregimes in years 2 and 3. 36
Indicative list of seminar topics What was fascism – as politics, ideology and way of life? Post-war Italy and the rise of fascism 1918-22 Mussolini in power: constructing the totalitarian state How did fascism shape ordinary life in Italy? a) in the cities b) in rural Italy Militarism and masculinity: Making the fascist man ‘Crisis woman’ and fascist mother: Women in Mussolini’s Italy Propaganda and cernsorship Building a fascist empire: Abyssinia, 1939 The road to war in Europe Occupation, civil war and the end of fascism, 1943-45 Contested memories: The legacy of fascism after 1945Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkCommentary Exercise (500 words) 10Essay (2,000 words) 40Group presentation 10Examination (1 hour) 40Sample Source‘The prayer of the ItaliansO beloved Duce – go to hellO you ass of a Duce – get lostO handsome Duce – vanish into thin airO oceanic Duce – drop deadO blessed Duce – be damned’This mock fascist ‘prayer’ was found pasted to billboards in the northern and strongly working classcity of Turin in 1941. It reveals much about life in Italy, after almost twenty years of fascistdictatorship and one year into an unpopular war. Support for Mussolini was clearly crumbling, buttwo decades of constant propaganda in the form of images and slogans had left their mark on theminds of many Italians. Much of this was quasi-religious in tone, giving it a familiar resonance in thiedeeply Catholic country, while the cult of the Duce (leader) placed Mussolini firmly at its centre. Thispiece of mock propaganda displayed as graffitti tells us what many Italians really thought of fascism.It also tells us about how propaganda might work on people’s minds; it was not just passivelyabsorbed by unthinking minds but could also be humorously reworked as a protest against theregime. 37
Year 1 Semester 1 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 Credits) HIST1158 Liberté, Egalité, Beyoncé: Women’s History in Modern Britain (Dr Charlotte L. Riley)Module OverviewIn this course, we will explore the history of women in Britain in the nineteenth and twentiethcenturies. We will consider the ways in which the women’s movement developed in Britain, and theway that it was influenced, not only by Europe and North America but also by Africa, Asia and LatinAmerica. Starting with ideas about gender developed in the early nineteenth century, this courselooks at the key campaigns, people, images and debates involved in women’s history and the Britishfeminist movement. We will consider issues such as the anti-slavery campaigns, imperial feminism,the role of women in the world wars, and the modern women’s liberation movement. We will workwith an interesting and varied historiography, as well as a rich collection of archival materialincluding pamphlets, speeches, audio/visual materials, memoirs and autobiographies, and legal andgovernment documents.Indicative List of Seminar Topics Herstory: an introduction to sex, gender and feminism Am I Not A Woman and a Sister? Women and the antislavery movement Separate but equal? The Victorians and the ‘separate spheres’ Imperial Feminism: white saviours and global female identity Sister Suffragettes: women and the vote There’s Not Much Women Can’t Do: women and the two world wars Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes: Women in the 1950s Would You let your Daughter Marry a Negro?: Women, gender and race The Personal Is Political: the 1970s and Second Wave feminism Margaret Thatcher: feminist icon? 21st Century Feminism: women in Britain today 38
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 20 40 2 x Commentary (2 x 500 words) 40 1 x Essay (2,000 words) 1 x Timed Examination (1 hour)Sample Source‘Because women's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitiousand we're the first to get the sackand what we look like is more important than what we doand if we get raped it's our faultand if we get bashed we must have provoked itand if we raise our voices we're nagging bitchesand if we enjoy sex we're nymphosand if we don't we're frigidand if we love women it's because we can't get a 'real' manand if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushyand if we expect community care for children we're selfishand if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and 'unfeminine'and if we don't we're typical weak femalesand if we want to get married we're out to trap a manand if we don't we're unnaturaland because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moonand if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortionand ….. for lots and lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement.’ Joyce Stevens, ‘Because we’re women’, Women's Liberation Broadsheet (1975)This document was written by the Australian writer, activist and campaigner Joyce Stevens. Born in1928, Joyce was active in socialist politics and the women’s liberation movement throughout her life,working to support women’s and worker’s rights in Australia and internationally. This text, whichwas written in 1975 to mark the UN’s Year of the Woman, demonstrates the international context ofthe British women’s liberation movement; the piece became very popular in Britain and wasadopted by a number of women’s organisations. When compared to documents produced bywomen’s rights campaigners in the nineteenth and earlier twentieth centuries, it is striking how thislist repeats previous demands and concerns in women’s politics: the focus on the right to work forequal pay, sexual liberation and women’s health, domestic violence, the right to abortion, andsupport for childcare all echo campaigns by earlier groups in Britain and internationally. 39
Year 1 Semester 2 - Core Module (30 credits)* HIST1150: World Ideologies: The Ideas that Made the World*Compulsory for all students reading history and joint degrees EXCEPT Ancient History and jointsModule OverviewIdeas are fundamental to human societies and culture. Some, though, are identified by the term‘ideology’, which indicates that they are all-embracing, and form the basis for an entire worldview,or a means of understanding the patterns of life and society. Ideologies can become the basis formuch of an individual's identity, and as such are forces of great power and historical importance.Understanding ideologies thus provides a key means for understanding the minds of historicalindividuals, or, beyond the individual, much of the basis for politics and political organisation.Indeed, ideologies can give the ideas and moral authorisation for some to try to control or totransform politics, society and culture, and are highly influential in bringing about historical change.Indicative List of Seminar TopicsThis module is designed to introduce you to some key ideologies and to allow consideration of howideologies have influenced societies and shaped history. The greater part of the module is builtaround week-long investigations of specific ideologies, selected for their long-term impact andglobal influence. These include examples such as Multiculturalism, Marxism and Imperialism. Foreach ideology, you will hear a broad, introductory lecture which will explain the basics of eachideology and highlight different historical case studies associated with them. This will be followed bya more specific lecture which will engage with the key texts for each ideology, and which will link tothe seminar. The seminar will involve you in discussion about a seminal text related to the ideologyand its impact. The aim of the seminar will be for you to bring together themes from the lecture andrelate them to the text, and to discuss the effect of the ideas under discussion. 40
Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 60 (30 each) 20 2 x 2,000-word essay based on primary sources 20 1000-word commentary on a key source Group presentation on a comparative themeSample Source‘Were all these dreadful things necessary? Were they the inevitable results of the desperate struggleof determined patriots, compelled to wade through blood and tumult, to the quiet shore of atranquil and prosperous liberty? No! Nothing like it. The fresh ruins of France, which shock ourfeelings wherever we can turn our eyes, are not the devastation of civil war; they are the sad butinstructive monuments of rash and ignorant counsel in time of profound peace.’ Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)Although many of his contemporaries and colleagues welcomed the events that took place in Francein the summer of 1789, Edmund Burke vehemently opposed the Revolution. In arguing against theideas and ideologies of the French Revolution, Burke drew on a different set of ideas to explain andjustify the structure of society. His book, Reflections on the Revolution in France, ignited a greatdebate in Britain and beyond, and it continues to be influential today. Priced at three shillings, it sold30,000 copies in two years, and its language and imagery have passed into British political discourse. 41
Year 1 Semester 2 - Ancient History Core Module (15 credits)* HIST1154 - Ancient History: Sources and Controversies (Dr Helen Spurling) *Compulsory for all students reading Ancient History and associated joint degrees Left: Roman copy of a bust of Herodotus (484-425 BCE); Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Right: Fragment of Herodotus’ Histories on papyrus, early 2nd cent. CE (Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 2099).Module OverviewThe history of the ancient world is hugely significant for understanding subsequent periods of historyand the origins of ideas and institutions of global significance. However, the nature of the ancientworld continues to be highly debated due to the sources and evidence available to historians forunderstanding this period. This module looks at the societies and cultures of the ancient worldthrough their written texts, visual art and material remains. What types of evidence are available toancient historians? What makes them significant and exciting? What perspectives do they present?What is the relationship between literature or materials remains and the socio-political world inwhich they were produced? The aim of this module is to introduce you to different types of sourcesin study of the ancient world, and how to approach and analyse them as historical sources. Over thecourse of the module, you will be introduced to literary, material and visual evidence fromHerodotus (484-425 BCE) to Procopius (500-560 CE), from buildings and monuments to art, coinsand inscriptions, covering Greek, Roman and Byzantine history. In this way, the module will provideyou with background knowledge and analytical skills useful throughout the rest of your degree andbeyond. 42
Indicative List of Content Introduction: Themes and Approaches Greek, Roman, and Late Antique Historiography Epic and Poetry Oratory and Politics Philosophy Geography and Travel Writing The Study of Ancient Inscriptions Integrating Written Sources and Material RemainsAssessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkCommentary exercise (1,500 words) 30Essay (2,000 words) 40Take-away gobbet exam (1,500 words) 30Sample Source‘In this book I will write the biographies of King Alexander and of Caesar – the Caesar who overthrewPompey. Now, given the number of their exploits available to me, the only preamble I shall make isto beg the reader not to complain if I fail to relate all of them or to deal exhaustively with aparticular famous one, but keep my account brief. I am not writing history but biography, and themost outstanding exploits do not always have the property of revealing the goodness or the badnessof the agent; often, in fact, a casual action, the odd phrase, or a jest reveals character better thanbattles involving the loss of thousands upon thousands of lives, huge troop movements, and wholecities besieged. And so, just as a painter reproduces his subject’s likeness by concentrating on theface and the expression of the eyes, by means of which character is revealed, and pays hardly anyattention to the rest of the body, I must be allowed to devote more time to those aspects whichindicate a person’s mind and to use these to portray the life of each of my subjects, while leavingtheir major exploits and battles to others.’ Plutarch (46-120 CE), Life of Alexander 1, Plutarch: Hellenistic Lives, trans. R. Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016)This extract from the beginning of Plutarch’s Life of Alexander highlights a range of aspects relevantto the study of the ancient world, concerning historical context, genre, and the limitations (but alsoopportunities) of the source material available to us. Plutarch wrote his biography of Alexander theGreat (356-323 BCE) centuries after the conqueror’s death, as part of a series of Parallel Livescomparing famous figures from the Greek world with Roman counterparts (in this case Caesar). Theextent to which we can use Plutarch as a source for ancient history is debated not only due to thechronological distance to his subjects, but also due to Plutarch’s here self-declared intention not towrite history but biography, and the moral tone which pervades his work. That said, Plutarch’s Life isour main source for the early life of Alexander the Great, about which little would otherwise beknown. 43
Year 1 Semester 2 - Ancient History Core Module (15 credits)* ARCH1062/HIST1130 - Wonderful Things: World History Told Through Objects (Dr R. Helen Farr) *Compulsory for all students reading Ancient History and associated joint degreesModule OverviewAs he broke the seal and opened the door to Tutankamun’s tomb, archaeologist Howard Carterdeclared, breathlessly, that he could see ‘Wonderful things’. Ancient things have this special appeal.They enchant and captivate. They excite curiosity and unleash enthusiasm. But above all they are theway to tell big histories through small objects. In this module we set out to tell the seamless historyof deep-time, from 2 Million years ago to the maritime foundations of the modern world. Throughour deep-history we will examine the motives behind making, acquiring, preserving and keepingthings; the pride and passion of people in the past, the constantly changing desire of humanity forthe sumptuous, the aesthetically pleasing and the exotic. To do this our archaeological experts havechosen a variety of objects from deep-history; starting with the stone handaxes of Africa and endingwith the fatal voyage of the Mary Rose. During your historical journey you will learn about changingtechnologies and food-ways, the things that glued Empires together, concepts of citizenship, icons offaith and the variety of objects used in social networking and games of power. By the end you willhave a different understanding both of history and wonderful, handmade, things. 44
Indicative List of Content Introduction: Making us Human Taming Nature Laying Foundations The First Cities and States Empires and Faiths Threshold of the Modern WorldAssessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkBlog (week 2) 40On-line quiz (week 3) 60Group exhibition and presentation (week 7)Written report on Wonderful Thing/s chosen and researched bythe student (2,000 words)Sample Source Incan Khipu, Peru, c. 1430-1530 AD, British Museum CollectionIn a complex society without writing, the Incan Khipu acted as a record and accounting system. Stillencoded and shrouded in mystery today, we learn from the Spanish accounts that they recordedcomplex stories about Kings, genealogy and census data. Is this early binary information storage, orwere these mnemonic devices read in a different way? From the Quechua for ‘knot’, how weunderstand this form of knotted string record is still debated. 45
Year 1 Semester 2 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1008 - A Tudor Revolution in Government? (Professor George W. Bernard)Module OverviewThis module is an exploration of how England was governed in the sixteenth century. How far didkings and queens rule as well as reign? What was the nature of monarchical government? Whatwas the role of the court and of faction? The aims of this module are to: enable you to study thenature of government in Tudor England; consider the epistemology and significance of the livelyhistoriographical arguments that have marked this subject; and explore how fruitful the concept of arevolution is in the study of the history of government and politics, and of history in general.Indicative List of Content Kingship in Tudor England The royal court, including culture Council and counsel, consent and tyranny The Nobility and gentry Parliament Military power Finance and taxation Institutions of central government Local government and the challenge of enforcement 46
Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkBook review (750 words) 202,000-word essay from a selection of questions set by the tutor 40Examination (1 hour) 40Sample Source ‘Remembrances at my next going to the Court.- For redress of the riots in the North. Letters to be written to Sir John Wallop. To declare Irish matters to the King, and desire what shall be done there. To send letters and money into Ireland, and advise the Deputy of the King's pleasure. To advertise the King of the ordering of Master Fisher, and to show him the indenture which I have delivered to the solicitor. To know his pleasure touching Master More, and declare the opinion of the judges. To declare to him the proceedings in his cause of uses and wills. To declare the effect of Master Pate's letters. To remember specially Master Shelley and Brothers for his concealment. To remember Sir Walter Hungerford in his welldoings. When Master Fisher shall go to execution, and also the other. What shall be done further touching Master More.’J.S. Brewer, J. Gairdner and R.H. Brodie, eds., Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the reignof Henry VIII (21 vols in 36, 1862-1932), VIII 892 [June 1535], is a summary of British Library, CottonMS, Titus, B i. fo. 474. It is one of many remembrances – lists of things to do – made by Henry VIII’sleading minister Thomas Cromwell, or by Cromwell’s secretary.Sir Geoffrey Elton (1921-94) made great claims that Thomas Cromwell master-minded a ‘TudorRevolution in Government’, and went as far as to claim that ‘Cromwell, not Henry [VIII], was reallythe government’. Cromwell’s memoranda throw interesting light on the relationship between kingand minister. It is striking how often Cromwell makes a note of the need to know the king’spleasure. Here Henry was being asked for instructions on how Thomas More and Bishop JohnFisher, who refused to support the king over the break with Rome, should be dealt with. Does thatsuggest that it was the king, not Cromwell, who was very much in command? 47
Year 1 Semester 2 - Cases and Contexts Module (15 credits) HIST1012 - Who is Anne Frank? (Dr Jennifer Craig-Norton)Module OverviewThe Diary of Anne Frank is the most widely read non-fiction book in the post-war world. The authorhas become a symbol of Jewish suffering during (what we now term) the Holocaust and a figureemblematic of all victims of the Second World War. Indeed, she might be described as an iconic figure,her name invoked across the world in campaigns promoting anti-racism and human rights. This coursewill introduce you to the life of Anne Frank and to her writing and legacy. It will place her singularexperience in the wider context of a history of the Holocaust as a whole and introduce you to broadthemes of recent Holocaust historiography and the wider significance this subject has in the study ofhistory and other disciplines.Indicative List of Content Anne Frank as Refugee Anne Frank in Hiding The History of the Diary Anne Frank beyond the Secret Annexe Children’s Experience of the Holocaust The Holocaust as a Gender Study Writing and the Holocaust The Americanisation of Anne Frank Anne Frank as Icon 48
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