Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 10 x 3 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 1 - 1 x 2,500 word essay | 25% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay 2 - 1 x 2,500 word essay | 25% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 1,500 word document analysis | 10% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours (1 x 2 hour exam) | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 1 - 1 x 2,500 word supplementary (resit) essay | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 2 - 1 x 2,500 word supplementary (resit) essay | 25% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 1,500 word supplementary (resit) document analysis | 10% |
| Supplementary Exam | 1 x 2 hour supplementary (resit) examination | 40% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Display an understanding of the social and political history of Britain during the Second World War and be able to reflect critically on the impact of 'total war' on Britain and the British people.
Comprehend and assess the different historical debates and analyses evident in related texts.
Read, analyse and assess a range of different types of historical evidence, including the evidence of various forms of propaganda.
Express understanding and discuss related issues through writing in an academic context.
Work independently and as part of a group and take an active part in group discussions.
Aims
Special Subjects provide third-year students with an opportunity to study a particular period in great depth and partly on the basis of primary sources. They are intensively taught, and particularly high standards of precision, creativity and knowledge are expected from students. Together with the dissertation and the general historical problems module, they provide final-year students with an opportunity to demonstrate the maturation of their historical and other skills and of their intellectual sensitivity. The range of special subjects reflects the range of teaching and research interests on the part of departmental staff. As in other core courses, a wide choice of periods and approaches is made available.
Brief description
The module begins by considering the government's preparedness for war in September 1939, the public's responses to the outbreak of war, and the first few months of the conflict. It goes on to assess the workings of wartime government, the impact of the Blitz, and the practical and popular success of such policies as evacuation, industrial conscription and rationing. It looks at support for, and opposition to, various aspects of the home front war effort, addresses the particular effects of the war on the lives of women, and considers the effectiveness of wartime propaganda efforts by both government and mass media. Lastly, it addresses the subject of post-war reconstruction and the remarkable outcome of the 1945 General Election.
As with all Special Subjects, particular emphasis will be placed on the historiography of the period, and on primary source material, close analysis of which will form a major par
Content
2. From 'Phoney War' to Dunkirk
3. The Blitz
4. The 'Factory Front'
5. The Home Front'
6. Women in wartime
7. The propaganda war (i): enemies and friends
8. The propaganda war (ii): broadcasting, film and wartime national identity
9. War and social change: social policy, Beveridge and 'reconstruction'
10. 'Leftward shift'? Wartime politics and the 1945 General Election
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | n/a |
| Communication | Read a wide range of both primary and secondary texts; improve listening skills during the lectures, and consequently develop skills in note taking; demonstrate and develop the ability to communicate ideas in two essays; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Show awareness of own learning styles, personal preferences and needs; devise and apply realistic learning and self management strategies; devise a personal action plan to include short and long-term goals and to develop personal awareness of how to improve on these. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to access information on CD-Roms and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be encouraged to word-process their work. These skills will not be formally assessed. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Develop awareness of personal skills, beliefs and qualities in relation to course in progression; plan and prepare for future course / career. |
| Problem solving | Identify problems and factors which might influence potential solutions; develop creative thinking approaches to problem solving; evaluate advantages and disadvantages of potential solutions. |
| Research skills | Understand a range of research methods and plan and carry out research; produce academically appropriate pieces of written work. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Develop a knowledge of, and familiarity with, a range of different sources from the modern period, including unpublished and published documents; develop the ability to use appropriate historical research tools effectively. |
| Team work | Understand the concept of group dynamics; contribute to the setting of group goals; contribute effectively to the planning of group activities; play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars); evaluate group activities and own contribution. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6