Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 10 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 2,500 word essay | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 1,500 word document analysis | 25% |
| Semester Assessment | Oral assessment | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | (Resit) 1 x 2,500 word essay | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | (Resit) Document analysis 1 - 1 x 1,500 words | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | (Resit) Document analysis 2 - 1 x 1,500 words | 25% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the Enlightenment as it pertains to eighteenth-century Wales.
2. Critically evaluate the concept of national identity, and its contested state in Wales during the era of the French Revolution.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the main historiographical debates relating to this period.
4. Critically evaluate primary source material relating to the life and career of Iolo Morganwg.
Aims
This module and its companion will be the only Special Subject offered in the department on an exclusively Welsh theme. They utilize the abundant resources of the Iolo Morganwg archive at the National Library of Wales in order to introduce students to the remarkably creative activities of those individuals who, inspired by the ideals of the Romantic movement, sought to recreate ideas of Wales and Welshness at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries.
Brief description
This module will examine what has been called the ‘Eighteenth-Century Welsh Renaissance’. After examining the twin notions of the Enlightenment and Romanticism in general terms, it will focus on the life and work of Iolo Morganwg – Wales’ premier cultural revivalist. Examining closely his writings themselves, it will explore his forgeries, his historical vision, his creation of a bardic institution, his political radicalism and his captivation with the idea of America. As well as examining this prescription for a new Welsh identity, the module will look at the extent to which that vision was a success.
Content
2. Wales in the Long Eighteenth-Century
3. Was there a Welsh Enlightenment?
4. What is Romanticism 5. Who was Iolo Morganwg?
6. Why forgery?
7. Iolo the ‘forger’
8. Iolo the last of the Druids
9. Iolo: Radical or Conservative?
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework and written examination; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths. |
| Problem solving | Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays. |
| Research skills | Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework and the written examination. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of Romantic Wales, engage with a wide range of historical material, and carry out research closely akin to that undertaken by professional historians. The Special Subject will give students a real feel for the historical profession. |
| Team work | Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6