Unit name | Poverty and Famines in Historical Perspective (Level H Reflective History) |
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Unit code | HIST38006 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Sheldon |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit asks the question why some people have been at the mercy of chronic poverty and hunger whilst others experience life as a riot of affluence. It then seeks to explore the question through a series of comparative studies of famines and their representation over the period 1750-2010. Adam Smith famously argued that whilst food shortages had natural causes, famines arose only from the inappropriate actions of states seeking to remedy dearth. T.R. Malthus went further and argued that famines were inevitable natural phenomena stemming from the imbalance of population and natural resources. These British ideas had a defining influence on world history: first as key tenets of political economy, which enjoyed an unrivalled international influence in the modern age, second through the agency of British colonialism which oversaw famines in India, Ireland and Africa. More recent perspectives suggest that human agency has and can play a larger role.
Aims:
Reflective history is identified in the Subject Benchmarking Statement as an important skill. Whilst students will 'reflect' on their work in all of their units the aim of this unit will be to focus on that reflective practice and to enable students to carry it forward in conjunction with the study of poverty and famines in historical perspective.
1 x 24 hour seen exam