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HIS10320

Academic Year 2026/2027

The Making of Modern Ireland, 1800-2000 (HIS10320)

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

Curricular information is subject to change.

This course takes students through 200 years of modern Irish history, examining key events, themes and milestones from the Act of Union between Britain and Ireland in 1800 to the early twenty first century. It covers political, social, economic and cultural dimensions of Irish history during tumultuous times, including the relationship between Great Britain and Ireland, Catholic emancipation, famine, the evolution of Irish nationalism and unionism, the land war, the revolutionary upheavals of the early twentieth century, the impact of partition, the quest for sovereignty in the Free State, neutrality, the Troubles and Anglo-Irish relations from the late 1960s, modernisation, memory and revelations, and the experience of life in southern and northern Ireland.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of modern Irish history;
- Assess the historiography of modern Irish history;
- Present aspects of the historical debate on Irish history orally and engage in discussions
- Be familiar with key documents and other primary sources;
-Analyse and assess evidence, and a variety of different view points
- Write a scholarly essay appropriate for a First Year student of History

Indicative Module Content:

The module will cover the following main areas: Week 1: A Civil Partnership? Ireland and Britain after the Act of Union; Week 2: A Soul Came Into Ireland – Daniel O’Connell and Thomas Davis; Week 3: Famine in Ireland; Week 4: Land and Freedom: Charles Stewart Parnell and Land War; Week 5: True Gaels and West Britons: Popular Culture in 19th Century Ireland; Week 6: 1913-23: Revolution?; Week 7: After Partition: Building the Two Irelands; Week 8: Frugal Comfort?: The de Valera Years; Week 9: Ireland and the Post-War World; Week 10: Troubled Times; Week 11: Ambiguous Republic? Recent History and Current Events

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. Competent

Critical Thinking

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

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. Competent

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 3

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 3
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

10
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
Total

111

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module combines large-group and small-group teaching through a weekly lecture and seminar. Weekly lectures provide overviews of weekly topics, with focus on key historical events, trends and debates. Weekly seminars focus on small-group active/task-based learning using secondary sources relating to the weekly topic. Autonomous learning is nurtured through required preparatory reading each week and a mid-term assignment which is preparatory to the end-of-semester exam. Key research, writing and citation skills are incorporated into seminar work and are advanced and assessed in the mid-term assignment and end-of-semester exam.
The use of AI tools (e.g. Gemini, Chat GPT. Copilot) is not permitted in this module. Students are expected to engage directly with module materials and activities without the use of AI.

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.

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): The mid term assessment will involve a short essay focused on analysis of reading material relevant to the module. Essay questions will be provided. Week 7, Week 8 Graded No
30
 No
Exam (In-person): There will be a two hour exam at the end of the semester. Students will be required to answer two questions. Towards the end of the semester, there will be a class devoted to exam preparation. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will be graded on their participation during the seminars, which includes contributing to class discussions. 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

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the mid-term assignment is provided to each student by their tutor. Feedback on the end of semester exam is provided on request and through one to one meetings or email.

Name Role
Dr Sarah Feehan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Conor Mulvagh Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Susannah Riordan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Laura Brennan Tutor
Julien Clenet Tutor
Lesley Cruce Tutor
Angelika Hansert Tutor
Ms Eden Jane Skehan Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Seminar Offering 2 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Seminar Offering 3 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 16:00 - 16:50
Spring Seminar Offering 4 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 16:00 - 16:50
Spring Seminar Offering 5 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 17:00 - 17:50
Spring Seminar Offering 6 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Seminar Offering 8 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Seminar Offering 9 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Seminar Offering 10 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 11 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 12 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Seminar Offering 13 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Seminar Offering 14 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Seminar Offering 15 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Seminar Offering 17 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 15:00 - 15:50
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