HST6886: Eighteenth-Century British American Colonies
15 credits (semester 2) (semester 1, 2011-12)
Module Leader: Dr. Simon Middleton
| Module Summary |
Was eighteenth-century America the first truly modern society, as some believe, or did the persistence of a monarchical and deferential mores mark the British American colonies as backward looking and traditional societies? This question is vital for our understanding of the eighteenth-century colonial history and the coming of the American Revolution which different scholars have described as either the optimistic begetter of an individualistic and liberal society or the despondent destroyer of an earlier, civic-minded humanist idealism. This module explores this conundrum through readings of the classic and recently published monograph literature on society and culture in pre-revolutionary North America.
| Teaching |
The module will be taught in five, two-hour classes. Each will focus on a particular theme and be located around its discussion in the historical literature, considered in broad context. This is a field with a rich literature in which publication is continuing, one which feeds into wider debates in the English-speaking world as to the nature of historical investigation. Classes will enable students to share knowledge, debate controversial issues and listen and respond to the views of others in a structured environment. Students will, in addition, have an individual tutorial with their own supervisor in which to discuss the work they will write for assessment for this module.
| Assessment |
Students will prepare a short paper (not more than 3000 words).
| Intended Learning Outcomes |
By the end of the unit, a candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- A more profound understanding of a period of American history, coming to 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 American history, attaining an awareness of current research issues beyond the published literature.
- The ability to elaborate and defend an intellectual position to other members of the seminar group as well as presenting scholarly arguments and historiographical debates to them.
- An awareness of the contribution made by other academic disciplines to our understanding of American history.
- Their ability to engage in group discussions of interpretative issues.