Module HIST1621: Reinventing Britain: Crafting a Democracy, 1776-1918

Department: History

HIST1621: Reinventing Britain: Crafting a Democracy, 1776-1918

Prerequisites

• Normally a 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 equip students with an understanding to historical contests over democracy, representation, and political participation in modern Britain
• To familiarise students with debates amongst historians over the interpretation of political and social change during this period
• To introduce students to different interpretations of democracy and representative government in a conceptual and comparative context

Content

• In less than 300 years of British history, democracy moved from a radical utopia to a presumed national value. This module explores a formative period for Modern Britain by evaluating the meanings of ‘democracy’ as an historical and political concept. While democracy became a desirable, not controversial, goal by the middle of the twentieth century, Britons continued to argue over its nature and realisation.
• The expansion of the right to vote mattered, of course, and its gradual extension to men (between 1832, 1867, 1883, and 1918) and to women (between 1918 and 1928) will be studied. Crucially, this module also asks questions more broadly about citizenship and society, and considers how far contests over democracy engaged debates about:
• community participation and engagement in politics;
• access to public services, such as healthcare and education;
• the distribution of wealth and the relationship between employers and employees;
• and freedom of speech and the limits of political debate.
• Adopting such a broad investigation into democracy in modern British history will allow us to integrate older questions about ‘political modernisation’ with more recent research on political culture, social thought, and the intersection of different identities. We will trace how a triumphant account of the rise of democracy is, increasingly, complicated by research highlighting the ways in which elites sought to discipline and direct the uses of political freedoms.

Learning Outcomes

• to analyse the key problems and controversies of democracy and popular sovereignty in this period;
• to assess rival methods and interpretations of social and political change in modern Britain;
• to distinguish between the varied definitions of “democracy” as both a political ideal in our period and an interpretative concept for scholars studying the 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. The seminar will also be the primary forum for developing students skills in reading and criticizing primary sources.
• 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;
• The summative essay remains a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills it develops. It allows 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