Module Information

Module Identifier
HQ35420
Module Title
The Irish in Britain, c.1815-70 (Part 1): Migration and Settlement
Academic Year
2018/2019
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminar 10 x 2 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Document analysis 1 - 1 x 1,500 words  25%
Semester Assessment Document analysis 2 - 1 x 1,500 words  25%
Semester Assessment 1 x 2,500 word written 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%
Supplementary Assessment 1 x 2,500 word supplementary (resit) essay  50%

Learning Outcomes

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

Demonstrate a detailed understanding of Irish migration and the social and the cultural history of the Irish diaspora in Britain during the nineteenth century.

Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the different historical debates and analyses related to the Irish in Britain in this period.

Critically analyse a range of different types of primary sources relating to the Irish in Britain in this period, including the evidence of various forms of propaganda.

Demonstrate an ability to analyse and deploy relevant historical evidence to produce cogent and detailed arguments on a thematic aspect of the module.

Brief description

Between 1801 and 1921 a total of more than eight million men, women and children left Ireland for destinations in Britain, North America and Australia. As a result, Irish migrants have had an enormous impact on societies as far apart as those of North America and Australia, a development that has come to be known as the ‘Irish Diaspora’. Against this global perspective, the Irish have been the largest immigrant group in Britain for the past two centuries. The overarching aim of this module is to explore the character of migration and its impact on British society.

Aims

This module explores a key theme in the relationship between Ireland and Britain in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that of migration from a mostly underdeveloped economy that experienced a major famine to the most industrialized society in the world at that time. It examines the causes and types of migration and the urbanization of an ethnic minority. The latter includes a consideration of whether the Irish lived in ghettoes, as well as the distinctive patterns of migrant community life (kinship, voluntary associations and politics). Through these themes the module addresses the sometimes fraught relationships between an ethnic minority and British society.

Content

The seminar topics are:
1. Introduction
2. Exiles or Emigrants?
3. Pre-famine migration, 1815-45
4. Irish Migrants in British Towns, c.1830-45
5. Radicals or Reactionaries? Irish Migrants in British Politics, c.1830-48
6. The Great Famine, 1845-50
7. Impact of the Great Famine on British Towns
8. The Poor Man’s Country: Social Commentary and the Irish
9. Migrants, Family and Kinship
10. Migrant Networks

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number NA
Communication Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework; 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 develop analytical skills in evaluating both written and visual sources relating to the Irish diaspora in Britain.
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