| Unit name | An Unruly History of England, c. 1381-1688 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISTM0102 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Reeks |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Our MA specialist options allow students to focus on a particular field of history and to develop specialist knowledge through intensive primary source and/or case study analysis. These units develop your ability to identify suitable primary sources, independently analyse them, and develop sophisticated arguments rooted in core methodologies and historiographies. An Unruly History of England achieves this by looking at a different case study of a major rebellion each week and introducing students to the historians who have studied them and the wide range of sources they have used, such as chronicles, literary sources, legal records, and rebel demands.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Specialist options take you into much greater detail than your TB1 thematic options, placing a much higher premium on independent primary source analysis. The aim is to provide all MA students with the core competencies required for their dissertation by developing your ability to build historical arguments through and with primary sources, in respect of a particular period, place, or theme.
An Overview of Content:
Rebellions, revolutions and uprisings are widely considered to rank amongst the most significant drivers of history. Though not, conventional wisdom would have us believe, in the case of English history. Instead, the development of English society is usually told as a story of relatively peaceful internal evolution. This unit challenges that perception and focuses on those extraordinary but relatively numerous occasions in late medieval and early modern England when those people who had virtually no political rights rose up against the government. These dramatic events raise a number of important questions: how did such episodes occur in pre-modern England? Or alternatively, why did they not occur more often? What provoked ordinary people to risk their lives and livelihoods in such a way? Who were these people? How did the government react and maintain its position of power? These are some of the key questions that will drive this module and help us to better understand the role that popular uprisings have played in shaping English history.
How will you be different as a result of taking this unit?
This unit aims to inspire you to conduct your own research into the history of early modern England. It will develop your understanding not just of early modern English history, but also of the ways in which historians set about framing appropriate research questions and answering them in this field.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
This unit will be taught through a combination of weekly seminars based on the unit content and asynchronous activity designed to help support your learning and assessment.
The seminar will be based around discussion of key texts, historiographical debates and themes in the field of histories of early modern English rebellions and how this has been shaped by historians' approaches to sources and methodology. This will serve both to increase your knowledge of how rebellions, riots and uprisings have been historically considered and to build your confidence in critically engaging with the work of other scholars.
The asynchronous activity will help develop your skills in selecting, reading and analysing relevant primary and secondary sources appropriate for an extended research-based essay.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
One 5000-word Essay (ILOs 1-4) [100%].
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISTM0102).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
