HST665: Modernity and Power: Individuals and the State in the Modern World
45 credits (semester 1) 30 credits
Module Leader:
| Module Summary |
As a recent and highly eventful period of history, the twentieth century is 'owned' by the public to a greater extent than perhaps any other period. Nor is the study of this period the sole preserve of historians but attracts much popular interest. This core module takes students from the turn of the twentieth century to the 1960s. The distinctiveness of the period will be a focus for debate over the course of the module which will also explore whether the study of contemporary history is inevitably interdisciplinary.
This module aims to introduce students to the key themes of World history in the period after 1900 It will address issues including war and revolution, ideological division, global influences on economic hardship and the crisis of capitalism and the consequences of the Nazi expansion, together with both the radical options pursued in Europe and Asia during the Second World War, the more conservative tenor of postwar reconstruction and the social radicalism of the 1960s. The module aims to give students a more profound understanding of the history of the period, introducing them to different modes of historical writing and so providing them with a context from which to engage in independent research.
| Teaching |
The module will be taught by fifteen two hour classes. Topics to be studied will include, for example, war and revolution in the Western world; ideologies; the crisis of capitalism; social disorder; postwar reconstruction; totalitarianism and the protest movements of the 1960s. Students will be set preparatory reading in advance and will be expected to share their knowledge of historiographical developments, debate controversial topics and listen and respond to the views of others in a structured environment. Students will, in addition, have three individual tutorials with their own supervisor in which to discuss the work they will write for assessment for this module.
All students are expected to attend, and prepare in advance for each class. Unavoidable absences should be reported in advance to the Postgraduate Secretary.
| Seminars |
| The Modern State |
| Revolutionary Power |
| Against The State |
| Totalitarian Society |
| Seeing Like A State |
| Assembling Knowledge |
| Mapping |
| The Archive |
| Historians in the Archive |
| Governmentality |
| Civil Society |
| Welfarism |
| Protest |
| Consumption, Affluence and Control |
| 'Sexuality' and Subjectivity |
| Assessment |
Students will complete two written papers for this module, totalling 9,000 words.
- A 6,000-word paper on a topic in twentieth-century history to be agreed between the student and the module tutor. Students are encouraged to engage with one or more of the concepts or themes explored in the course through a case-study or case-studies.
- a 3,000-word paper identifying a particular historiographical approach (evidenced through the work of an individual historian or school of historical writing or, alternatively, through the use of a particular type of source material such as oral history or film) delineating the methodological or epistemological problems it raises and suggesting how these might be addressed.
| Intended Learning Outcomes |
By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- A more profound understanding of the history of the period 1914 to 1949, and the extent to which this was shaped by the experiences of war, occupation, and revolution, so acquiring a context for practice-based research.
- Their ability to arrive at independent conclusions on salient issues of interpretation and source criticism.
- The ability to distinguish between and critically evaluate different schools of interpretation and historical debate on the early twentieth century, attaining an awareness of current research issues beyond the published literature.
- Their ability to elaborate and defend an intellectual position to other members of the seminar group, presenting complex scholarly arguments and historiographical debates succinctly and accurately.
- An awareness of the contribution made by other academic disciplines to our understanding of twentieth-century history.
- Their ability to engage in group discussions of interpretative issues.
- The ability to present their conclusions in a fluent written form, demonstrating a mastery of bibliographical materials (including electronic resources) referencing their sources appropriately.