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HIS10070

Academic Year 2026/2027

The Making of Modern Europe: 1500-2000 (HIS10070)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Sandy Wilkinson
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

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.

About this Module

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

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Advanced Beginner

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Advanced Beginner

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Advanced Beginner

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

11
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
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.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Generative AI is permitted only in the mid-term exercise but only as proscribed in the assessment instructions.

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
Assignment(Including Essay): Gobbet (primary source analysis) Week 7 Graded No
20
 No
Exam (In-person): 2 hour exam; 2 essays. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
60
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Average of contribution to in-class discussions; pop-quizzes. Week 9, Week 11 Graded No
20
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
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
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