Unit name | Europe: A Fractal History 1945-1989 (Level M Lecture Response) |
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Unit code | HISTM0065 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Austin |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
none |
Co-requisites |
none |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will explore the history of Eastern and Western Europe from the end of the Second World War until the collapse of communism from eight historiographical angles. Historians of economics, ethnicity, the environment, or democracy may draw divergent conclusions about what is important about Europe's post-war journey. Periodisation, for example, looks very different depending on one's perspective: for the historian of the Cold War, 1961 is likely to be a key date. An economic historian may well believe that 1973 was of longer-term significance. Equally, Eastern and Western Europe look much more similar under some lenses (increasing prosperity) than others (levels of democratic participation). Finally, what common ground do historians share? One answer may be a common preoccupation with detail: whether we zoom in on changes in what people ate, or zoom out to examine the changing geo-political situation, we need to be alive to complexity and difference.
Aims:
On successful completion of this unit students will have achieved:
1 x 5000 word essay (100%) which will assess ILOs 1-6