Module Identifier HY32020  
Module Title THE BRITISH ISLES IN THE LONG EIGHTEENTH CENTURY  
Academic Year 2006/2007  
Co-ordinator Dr Eryn M White  
Semester Intended for use in future years  
Next year offered N/A  
Next semester offered N/A  
Other staff Dr Michael F Roberts, Dr David Ceri Jones, Dr Martyn J Powell  
Mutually Exclusive HY31720 , HY31220  
Course delivery Lecture   18 x 1 hour lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials   2 x 2 hours  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours CLOSED EXAMINATION, 2 QUESTIONS  70%
Semester Assessment 1 X 2,500 WORD ESSAY  30%
Supplementary Assessment2 Hours CLOSED EXAM PLUS ANY MISSING WRITTEN WORK  100%

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to.
display a knowledge of the history of the British Isles over a fairly broad historical period and a familiarity with the relevant secondary sources

display a knowledge of comparative perspectives of society.

to read analyse and reflect critically on secondary and primary texts

develop and sustain historical arguments with increased sophistication, orally and in writing

gather and sift appropriate items of historical evidence with further confidence

6. work independently and collaboratively (not formally assessed)

Brief description

This survey will offer students a political, social and cultural history of the British Isles in the long eighteenth century, focusing upon the making of the British nation. Students will also study Britain'r component parts and tensions between them. The key political points of crises like the Jacobite rebellion, the impact of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution and the Irish revolt of 1798 will be examined. Students will also explore cultural developments during this period, including the emergence of the novel, travel writing and trends in portraiture. The eighteenth century saw Britain become the world'r first industrial nation, and in this light students will examine the growth of the British working class, the `urban renaissance? and consumer culture. Finally, this module will place Britain within the eighteenth-century Atlantic world, looking in particular at imperial problems and the campaign to abolish slavery.

Aims

This module will provide students with an overview of the history of the British Isles during the period known to historians as the long eighteenth century. It will offer a broad perspective on the history of the British Isles and the relations between its constituent countries and will explore major themes and developments over a comparatively long sweep of history.

Content

Lectures
1. Introduction: Restoration and Glorious Revolution
2. The Scottish Union and Jacobitism
3. Rural Life
4. The Religious Revival in England and Wales
5. Touring the British Isles
6. The Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland
7. The Eighteenth-Century Novel
8. Britain and the Enlightenment
9. The British Isles and the American War of Independence
10. Art and the British Isles
11. Britain and the Consumer Revolution
12. The Making of the British Working Class
13. Britain and the Atlantic World
14. Britain and the French Revolution
15. Iolo Morganwg and the Forging of the Welsh Nation
16. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 and the Act of Union
17. The Romantic Tradition in the British Isles
18. Scott and Edgeworth: National Tales
Seminars (2 from:)
1. Enlightenment
2. Revolution
3. Romanticism

Module Skills

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.  
Communication 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.  
Team work Understand the concept of group dynamics; contribute to the setting of group goals; contribute effectively to the planning of group activities; evaluate group activities and own contribution.  
Information Technology Use a range of commonly used software packages; prepare and input data; manage storage systems; present information and data; use the internet appropriately and effectively.  
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.  

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Colley, Linda (1992) Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707 1837
Dickinson, HT (1992) The Blackwell Companion to Eighteenth Century Britain
Heyck, Thomas William (1992) The Peoples of the British Isles: A New History from 1688 to 1870
O'Gorman, Frank (1997) The Long Eighteenth Century: British Political & Social History, 1688 1832
Porter, Roy (2000) Enlightenment: Britain and the Creation of the Modern World
Rule, John (1992) Albion�s People: English Society, 1714 1815

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6