Module Information

Module Identifier
HY35720
Module Title
The British Isles and the ‘English Revolution’
Academic Year
2016/2017
Co-ordinator
Dr Michael F Roberts
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminar 6 x 1 Hour Seminars
Lecture 18 x 1 Hour Lectures
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Essay 1 - 1 x 2,500 words  50%
Semester Assessment Essay 2 - 1 x 2,500 words  50%
Supplementary Assessment (Resit) Essay 1 - 1 x 2,500 words  50%
Supplementary Assessment (Resit) Essay 2 - 1 x 2,500 words  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1) Demonstrate an understanding of a body of historical knowledge in the field of the early modern British Isles
2) Identify, discuss and analyse comparative perspectives on the history of these islands and the place of the terms ‘revolution’ and ‘rebellion’ when studying them
3) Read, analyse and reflect critically on early modern historians’ uses of secondary and primary texts as these illuminate the history of ‘archipelagic’ political conflict.

Aims

1. Increase opportunities for students to study early modern political history
2. Present students with an overview of the origins, course and consequences of the War of the three Kingdoms 1637-1652 in Britain and Ireland
3. Provide the skills and knowledge for students to consider ‘the new British History’ in its context as part of their study of the past
4. Further develop students’ understanding of developments in recent historiography as these relate to the experience of civil war and revolution

Brief description

This module explores the ‘English revolution’ of 1640-60 against its wider chronological and geographical background, allowing students access both to the traditional narrative and to more recent ‘new British’ or ‘Archipelagic’ perspectives

Content

LECTURES:

1 Introduction: chronology, evidence and interpretative options.
2 The reign of Charles I down to 1640
3 Political crisis in Scotland, Ireland and England 1637 to 1642
4 The collapse of royal authority and the outbreak of civil war
5 The geography of civil war allegiance and the sequence of military events 1642-46
6 The political and religious implications of a successful Parliamentary victory
7 The rise of political and religious radicalism in England and Wales 1647-
8 The situation in Ireland; from the 1641 rebellion to the Confederation of Kilkenny
9 Scotland and support for the King 1646-48
10 The ‘Second Civil War’ and resistance to Parliament
11 Pride’s Purge, the Trial and Execution of the King
12 Inventing a Republic: the creation of government without monarchy by the Rump 1649-53
13 England’s re-conquest of Ireland and Scotland 1649-51
14 Propagating the Gospel in Wales in its British context
15 Republican Britain on the European stage
16 The collapse of the Rump and the Barebones experiment
17 The Protectorate constitution: Oliver Cromwell
18 The British Isles United? Restoration and beyond

SEMINARS:

1 From the Petition of Right (1628) to war with Scotland (1637)
2 The collapse of Charles’ authority 1638-1642
3 The course and outcome of the wars of the Three Kingdoms (1637-1651)
4 Political innovation from the Putney Debates to the Instrument of Government (1647-53)
5 From regicide to the recreation of a kind of monarchy 1649-1658
6 Restoration or disguised innovation? 1658-1665

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 The use of contemporary primary source materials allows students to begin to familiarize themselves with a distinctive period language and vocabulary, and to reflect on its relationship with later, modern, English forms and usages, thus contributing to their self-awareness when preparing their own written assignments
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