HIS21100 A History of Ireland: Politics, Culture, and Society

Academic Year 2023/2024

History has shaped modern Irish life in ways that are many and complex. This course opens with an exploration of Irish culture and society in a new millennium. What is it about Ireland that is unique? And what is it, instead, that is part of a shared human experience that transcends borders, whether political or geographic? The course examines how millennia of history have shaped life on the island from the arrival of the first humans, through the Irish experience within the British Empire, and on to a partitioned island which is organized into two states: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The course will also assess how Ireland has been shaped by emigration, by Famine, and by media, among other forces. Woven through the course will be an appraisal of continuity and change in political, social, economic and cultural dimensions of Irish history.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of modern Ireland;
2. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of Irish history;
3. Assess the key events, themes and milestones of Ireland’s culture and society;
4. Demonstrate familiarity with the historiography of Ireland;
5. Write scholarly assignments appropriate for a Second Year student of History.

Indicative Module Content:


1. Celtic Dawn: Introduction to the course
2. Ireland, 1169-1500
3. Re-conquest and Reformation,1500-1691
4. Rebellion & Union, 1700-1801
5. Field Trip: Croke Park Museum
6. Nineteenth Century Ireland: Politicisation and Catastrophe
7. Cultural Awakening and Home Rule
8. Revolutionary Ireland & Partition, 1900-1923
9. Field Trip: A Walking Tour of Dublin in Rebellion, Easter 1916
10. Ireland in the Twentieth-Century
11.Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
12. Field Trip: The Music of Ireland

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

16
Field Trip/External Visits

4
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
Total

110
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module focuses on a weekly lecture to provide overviews of topics, with focus upon key historical trends, debates and events. The lectures use both secondary and primary sources. Autonomous learning is nurtured through required preparatory reading each week, and a formative and summative written assignment. Key research, writing and historiographic skills are explicitly incorporated into the module. 
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
Continuous Assessment: See handbook for more details. Week 8 n/a Graded No

30
Continuous Assessment: Class participation Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

10
Assignment: 2,000 word essay Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

60

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

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the mid-term Essay Assignment is given in writing on the returned hard-copy. Feedback on the end-of-semester Essay Assignment will be given by appointment in one-to-one meetings.

Name Role
David Nicoll Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ben Rogers Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Mon 16:00 - 17:50