HIS10070 The Making of Modern Europe: 1500-2000

Academic Year 2024/2025

This course is designed specifically for you as a first-year undergraduate. It will introduce you to some of the momentous changes that have taken place in Europe over the past five hundred years. Each week, we will dive into some key historical moments – shifts in religious beliefs, the rise and fall of empires, the witch craze, the Industrial Revolution, the push for democracy, war, the Cold War and the vibrant social and cultural shifts post-1945. While there be a lecture every week to introduce you to all of these topics and themes, the real heart of the course will come in our weekly seminars where you'll get to debate, discuss, and dissect these historical events. This is your chance to challenge what you know, engage in lively debates, weigh up competing interpretations, and use real historical evidence to back your ideas. This course isn't just about learning history—it's about becoming an historian.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

1. Get a solid start in university-level history. You'll discover how different and exciting it is to study history here compared to what you did in school.
2. Boost your skills in handling historical evidence. Learn to analyse documents and other sources, understand their wider context, and use them effectively in discussions and essays.
3. Explore how history is written. You'll look at various approaches, dive into ongoing debates, and understand the influences that shape historical narratives.
4. Expand your knowledge of key periods in European history from the early modern era to more recent times.
5. Build your confidence in discussing ideas in seminars and presenting them effectively to others.
6. Sharpen your essay-writing skills to express your thoughts clearly and persuasively.

Indicative Module Content:

Introduction
Reformation
New Worlds
Witchcraft
The Rise of Democracy
European Imperialism
War in the Modern World
Cold War
End of Empires

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

11
Total

112
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This course is tailored especially for you as you start your university journey, making the shift from high school to university-level study smoother. Every Wednesday, join us in Theatre L in the Newman Building for a lecture that will open your eyes to key events and ideas in Modern European History. These topics will then be picked up in your seminar, where you'll have the chance to discuss and debate them in a small group setting of around 20 students. Our seminars are crafted to boost your confidence in analysing various historical documents through interactive, problem-solving activities. Equally important, you’ll broaden your understanding by diving into a variety of readings, from textbooks to expert articles and detailed studies, encouraging a deeper grasp of history beyond the basics. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Exam (In-person): 2 hour exam; 2 essays. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No

60

 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Gobbet (primary source analysis) Week 8 Graded No

20

 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Contribution to in-class discussions; pop-quizzes. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No

20

 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

You will receive feedback on your seminar contributions. General feedback may also be offered within the seminar group to deal with common issues/challenges. You can also request feedback on your examination scripts.

Name Role
Professor William Mulligan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer