Module HIST2581: STATE AND SOCIETY IN THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND, 1200-1360

Department: HISTORY

HIST2581: STATE AND SOCIETY IN THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND, 1200-1360

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To enable students to have a proper understanding of the constitutional, political, and economic history of Britain from John to Edward III.
• Some cultural aspects may also be covered.

Content

• The period was crucial in the development of Britain, with the conquest of Wales under Edward I contrasting with Scottish success in the Wars of Independence.
• English government and politics will provide one central theme, with the development of opposition to the Crown from Magna Carta to the crises of the fourteenth century.
• The changing economic structure will be considered: the thirteenth century saw expansion, and the fourteenth contraction with crises of famine and plague.
• Trade and towns will be considered as well as the agrarian economy.
• The impact of war upon government and society will be a significant theme, from the 1290s war and its demands dominated in a way not seen previously.
• Issues of Church and State will be examined, although the internal development of the church will not provide a central theme.
• The contrasting development of England, Wales and Scotland, and of border societies, will be a significant element in this module.

Learning Outcomes

• knowledge of the characteristic ways in which power, royal, noble and military, was exercised in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries,and of the main political crises of the period;
• understanding of the changing political structures, with the deveopment of representative institutions, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
• understanding of the way in which society was structured, and of the economic factors which underlay this.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/;
• In addition students will acquire the ability to analyse select problems in thirteenth and fourteenth century English history coherently and with appropriate information.

• Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods:
• lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection;
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One or more short assignments submitted in writing or delivered orally and discussed either 1:1 or in a group context.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University