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HIS10450

Academic Year 2023/2024

Radicals and Revolutionaries (HIS10450)

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

Curricular information is subject to change.

What does the world look like when viewed from the perspective of those who seek to challenge the status quo? How do provocative and disruptive ideas emerge, take root and ultimately re-shape the world around us? And why do others become contested, discredited or otherwise unappealing? Join us on an exploration of key moments in global history where challenges to dominant ideas, social norms, political hierarchies and cultural behaviours have shaken accepted truths, myths and realities. This course offers an introductory thematic overview to nine critical moments from the nineteenth to the early twenty-first centuries, travelling around the globe to explore histories of political revolution, abolitionism, feminism, anarchism, anti-capitalism, decolonisation, environmentalism, queer identities and political violence. Each week we will encounter individuals, groups, communities and states who have sought to confront the mainstream by proposing radical social and political alternatives, often in places that have been left out of traditional historical narratives. We will examine case studies in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. In doing so, we consider how thinking about global connections can revolutionise our own understandings of history and of our place in the world.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students be able to:
Show awareness and understanding of key moments in global history where challenges to the mainstream have emerged;
Demonstrate skills in the analysis of primary source materials;
Research and write an essay to the standard of a level 1 student of history;
Contribute in a meaningful way to class discussions.

Indicative Module Content:

Indicative content may include:
Week 1 | Doing radical history
Week 2 | The old order & political revolution
Week 3 | Slavery & abolitionism
Week 4 | Patriarchy & feminism
Week 5 | The state & anarchism
Week 6 |Capitalism & its critics
Week 7 |Empire & decolonisation
Week 8 | Social norms & queer identities
Week 9 | Ecological exploitation & environmentalism
Week 10 | Terrorism & freedom fighters
Week 11 | Radicals, revolutionaries & history in perspective

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 module combines large-group and small-group teaching via a weekly lecture and seminar. Lectures provide an overview of the topic, while seminars focus on discussion of primary and secondary sources pertaining to the broader theme. Autonomous learning is fostered through required reading each week, and through preparation of summative written assignments. Key research, writing and citation skills are explicitly incorporated into seminar work and are reinforced in summative assignments.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment: Mid-term essay planning exercise Unspecified n/a Graded No
20
No
Continuous Assessment: Students are graded on their contribution to seminars throughout the semester Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No
30
No
Essay: An essay of 1500 words, to be submitted at the end of week 12 Week 12 n/a Graded No
50
No

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 essay plan assignment is given in writing (via brightspace) on the submitted copy. Feedback in class (on campus or online) verbally throughout the semester in relation to continuous assessment. Feedback on the end-of-semester essay is provided in writing (via brightspace). Verbal feedback may be given by appointment in one-to-one meetings if appropriate/feasible at that time.

Name Role
Dr Jeremiah Garsha Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Jennifer Keating Lecturer / Co-Lecturer