Explore UCD

UCD Home >

HIS31840

Academic Year 2026/2027

The First World War: cultures and consequences (HIS31840)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Jennifer Wellington
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 will explore the cultural impact and aftermath of the First World War. The First World War has been understood alternately as the birth of modernity, the beginning of the end of Empire, and the cause of the Great Depression, fascism, communist revolutions and the Second World War. In this course we will weigh the veracity of each of these claims, paying particular attention to the cultural impact of the war. Topics discussed will include trench warfare, new military technologies, war crimes, morale, mutiny, shellshock, victory and defeat, peacemaking, war art and literature, mourning and memorial making, and empire.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding the course, conduct and consequences of the First World War.
2. Assess the historiography of the history of First World War.
3. Present aspects of the historical debate on the war orally and engage in discussion.
4. Write scholarly essays appropriate for a Level Three student of History.

Indicative Module Content:

The course is structured to the first six weeks students learn what happened in the First World War happened year by year. The lectures provide a narrative of what happened, and there is also a focus on a theme in the readings each each week. Week 1: 1914 – origins and outbreak. Week 2: 1915 – atrocities. Week 3: 1916 – industrial slaughter and soldier experience. Week 4: 1917 – mutiny and revolution. Week 5: 1918 – winners and losers. Week 6: 1919 – peacemaking and demobilisation. The second half of the course focuses on themes, as students will now have enough knowledge to analyse them critically. Week 7: Empire. Week 8: war literature. Week 9: propaganda, culture, and mobilisation. Week 10: shell shock and trauma. Week 11: mourning, memory, and global war.

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

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. Competent

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. Competent

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. Competent

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. Competent

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. 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 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Total

223

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a small-group, seminar-based module. It is taught through a one-hour weekly lecture and a two-hour seminar. The weekly lecture provides an overview of the week’s topic, focusing upon key historical trends, debates and events. The weekly seminar is focused upon individual active / task-based learning by means of class debates, discussion and student presentations. Advanced research, writing and citation skills are developed through a combined individual student presentation, discussion board contributions, and a semester-long 4,000 word research project. Autonomous learning is advanced through student-led debate and discussion of set primary sources and / or student presentations each week.

Generative AI is NOT permitted to be used in this module. Any questions about this should be addressed to the module coordinator.

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
Incompatibles:
HIS31700 - Origins of the First World War, HIS31790 - War guilt, 1914


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Participation in Learning Activities: In class presentation, including answering oral questions based on the assignment and submitting presentation materials. Week 12 Graded No
20
 No
Group Work Assignment: In-class wartime propaganda activity and followup assignment. Week 9 Graded No
10
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final research essay. Week 14 Graded No
40
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: In-class participation, including ability to make informed comments on class readings. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
20
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: In-class quizzes Week 4, Week 7 Graded No
10
 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, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the presentation performance and text is given in writing with the returned assignment. Written and oral feedback will be provided on an ongoing basis on the in-class assignments and exercises, and on preparatory work for end-of-semester Research Papers. Feedback on the end-of-semester Research Papers will be given by appointment in one-to- one meetings.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 09:00 - 10:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Print this page
Fill in the following details:
Enter the body of your query here.

From time to time UCD would like to send you further information that we feel, based on your enquiry, would be of interest to you.