Module: HIS4101-20 Disunited Kingdoms: Society, Politics and Culture in Britain and Ireland

Level: 4

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: David Coast

Module Tutor Contact Details: d.coast@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

This module introduces you to the history of Britain and Ireland during the early modern period. It charts the relationship between England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland during this period, examining the tensions and conflicts between them and their modern legacy. It examines the political, social and cultural histories of these countries and how they changed during a painful period of territorial consolidation, state formation and religious conflict. You will explore some of the main themes of British and Irish history during this period while also developing the basic transferable analytical, research, and writing skills that you will continue to develop throughout your degree.

2.Outline syllabus:

We will draw on a selection of topics from the following list, using a series of introductory seminars to set the scene for a deeper analysis of these:

Introduction

England, Scotland and Ireland at the start of the sixteenth century

Economic and social change in the sixteenth century

British reformations

Authority and popular rebellion

The Tudor Conquest of Ireland

The Ulster Plantation

James I and the Union

Charles I – an ‘uncounselled’ King?

The War of the Three Kingdoms

Ireland and Civil War in the 1640s

Cromwell and Ireland

Restoration in the Three Kingdoms

The Glorious Revolution

The Williamite-Jacobite Struggle in Ireland

The Penal Laws in Eighteenth-Century Ireland

The Hanoverian Monarchy

The Golden Age of the Aristocracy

A Polite and Commercial People?

Poverty and the Poor Laws

The Growth of an Empire

Industrial Revolution

Radicalism and Reform

The Volunteer Movement in the 1770s and 1780s

Reform and Revolution in the 1790s

Conclusion

3.Teaching and learning activities:

Lectures, seminars, group discussions, set reading.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: CW
• Description: Podcast (2000 words)
• % Weighting: 50%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: CW
• Description: Essay (2000 words)
• % Weighting: 50%