Module HIST2741: PROTEST, TERRORISM AND REVOLUTION IN EUROPE, 1953 TO 1989/90

Department: History

HIST2741: PROTEST, TERRORISM AND REVOLUTION IN EUROPE, 1953 TO 1989/90

Prerequisites

• A pass mark in at least ONE level one module in History.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To offer students the opportunity to study the history of European civil unrest, anti-establishment activism and related issues from the 1953 to 1989/90.
• To enable students to apply theoretical and interpretative concepts to the rise of 'new' social movements and related phenomena during this period.
• To fulfil the generic aims for level-2 history.

Content

• This module will trace the contemporary history of civil unrest, anti-establishment activism and related issues from the 1950s to the end of the Cold War.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to the 1970s, a crucial decade for the rise of unconventional politics and 'new' social movements, and the opportunities and constraints these faced in different European states on both sides of the Iron Curtain. I
• In addition to pan-European movements, such as the peace movement, environmentalism and feminism, the module will consider examples from French and West German student riots, militant leftist movements and terrorism in Italy and West Germany; pro-democracy and civil rights movements and separatist terrorism in Northern Ireland and the Mediterranean; the reform movements in eastern Europe from the 1950s uprisings in the GDR and Hungary to Charta 77 in Czechoslovakia and KOR and Solidarity in 1980s Poland; the module ends with an assessment of the role of pro-democracy movements in the 1989/90 revolutions.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have acquired or developed the following: an in-depth knowledge of European civil unrest, anti-establishment activism and related issues from the 1950s to the 1980s.
• an understanding of the variety of ways in which historical and theoretical literature deals with the rise of 'new' social movements and related phenomena in post-war Europe.

• 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

• Major themes and conceptual issues of the module will be explained to students during lectures.
• Study of secondary literature will enable students to apply theoretical and interpretative concepts to the content of the module.
• Seminar teaching provides a forum for exchanging and refining student thinking about relevant themes and issues by way of students' presentations and discussion.
• During tutorials guidance on progress will be provided, and students' analytical and critical skills will be developed through formative feedback on seminar presentations, book reviews and summative essays.
• Summative exam assessment will enable students to demonstrate their understanding of historical and theoretical literature relating to the module, and their attainment of the generic learning outcomes for level-2 history.
• 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