Module HIST1441: RIOT AND REBELLION IN EARLY MODERN BRITAIN, 1485-1642

Department: History

HIST1441: RIOT AND REBELLION IN EARLY MODERN BRITAIN, 1485-1642

Prerequisites

• Normally an A or B grade in A-Level History, or an acceptable equivalent (e.g. in terms of Scottish Highers or IB).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to the study of early modern British history as a whole.
• To introduce students to the ways in which the ideas of historians about this period have changed and developed.
• To enable students to develop their powers of critical thought and analysis: both through independent research and through participation in group work.
• To provide students with the opportunity to discuss a series of historical issues in depth: both with their tutor and with their peers.

Content

• On 22 August 1485 King Richard III was defeated and killed by the forces of the twenty-eight year-old Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Thus the Tudor dynasty began, and the man who only hours before had been the leader of a desperate rebellion found himself transformed instead into the ruler of all England. It was a stunning success – but it was also a powerful reminder of just how vulnerable the position of an early modern monarch could be. Over the succeeding decades Henry VII, his son and grandchildren were themselves to face a series of major riots and rebellions: some of which shook the authority of the Tudor Crown to its very foundations. Their Stuart successors faced similar problems, yet where the Tudors survived they did not, the country instead dividing into civil war.
• This course introduces students to the many insurrections and popular disturbances which occurred during the period 1485-1642: episodes which – as scholars are now increasingly coming to realise – illustrate as few other episodes can the deep-seated splits and divisions which lurked beneath the smooth-seeming façade of Tudor society and which eventually erupted in the English Civil War.
• Yet, for all the challenges it faced, Tudor rule did not collapse: this course will also consider what the rebellions of the period tell us about the construction and maintenance of social order, as well as tracing the processes that resulted in Civil War.

Learning Outcomes

• A detailed knowledge of Tudor and Stuart rebellions.
• An understanding of certain key areas of ongoing historical debate.
• A familiarity with the use of different types of primary source material for this period.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/

• Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/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:
• 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:

Formative benefits from the summative assessments, plus one or more short assignments delivered orally and discussed 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