Module Information

Module Identifier

WH11420

Module Title

Wales in An Age of Revolution, 1770-1850

Academic Year

2015/2016

Co-ordinator

Dr Paul B O'Leary

Semester

Semester 2

Mutually Exclusive

HC11420

Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type	Delivery length / details
Lecture	20 x 1 Hour Lectures
Seminar	5 x 1 Hour Seminars

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment length / details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	1 x 2,500 word essay	30%
Semester Exam	2 Hours (1 x 2 hour exam)	70%
Supplementary Assessment	1 x 2,500 word supplementary (resit) essay	30%
Supplementary Exam	2 Hours 1 x 2 hour supplementary (resit) examination	70%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Show an understanding of the significant developments in the history of Wales over a broad chronological period that has been characterized as an Age of Revolutions.

Show an awareness of the historiography and debates surrounding important themes in the social, political and religious history of modern Wales.

Demonstrate an ability to use and reflect critically upon a range of relevant primary and secondary material.

Express understanding, in written form, within an academic context.

Demonstrate an ability to work independently and manage time effectively.

Brief description

The purpose of the module is to provide an introduction to the main economic, social, cultural and political changes that took place in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Wales. The structure of power in society is examined, as well as the response to the Atlantic revolutions (America and France), as well as attitudes to slavery. The impact of the Napoleonic Wars and post-war developments are also analysed. Students will be enabled to understand and discuss the main concepts and historical debates concerning the period.

Content

LECTURES:
1. Introduction - An Age of Revolutions.
2. The Old Order: Aristocracy, Power and Authority in Eighteenth-Century Wales.
3. Manufacturing a New World: the Industrial Revolution.
4. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Wales and America.
5. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Wales and the French Revolution, 1789.
6. 'Am I not a Man and a Brother?' Wales and Slavery.
7. For King and Country: War and Loyalism in Wales, 1793-1815.
8. A Riotous Nation: Food Riots, 1793-1801.
9. Rough Music: the Ceffyl Pren and the Scotch Cattle.
10. Dirt and Disease: the Social Consequences of the Industrial Revolution.
11. Raising the Red Flag: The Merthyr Rising and the Reform Crisis, 1830-32.
12. A People in Arms: Chartism and the Newport Rising, 1839.
13. In Retreat? Chartism in the 1840s.
14. 'A Most Creditable Portion of Welsh History': the Rebecca Riots, 1839-44.
15. 'Pestilence on their Backs, Famine in their Stomachs': Wales and the Irish Great Famine, 1845-50.
16. The Treason of the Blue Books: Education, Government and the People.
17. Making A New Nation: the Communications Revolution in Mid-Nineteenth Century Wales.
18. Conclusion - Change, Continuity and Progress.

SEMINARS:
1. The Industrial Revolution
2. Wales and Eighteenth-Century Radicalism
3. The Growth of Town Life
4. Chartism
5. Mid-Victorian Wales

Aims

The aim of this module on Wales in the age of revolutions is to provide an introduction to some of the key themes of Welsh history in this period. We will analyse the structure of power in society as well as exploring the impact of the Industrial Revolution on Wales. The influence of the American and French revolutions on the country will also be discussed. One important feature of life at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries was the military conflict with France, which lasted for a generation between 1793 and 1815, and which had a profound effect on social, economic and political life in Wales. The radical movements that gained support after the end of this conflict form an important part of the module. The module ends with a discussion of the condition of the country by the middle of the nineteenth century and the new ways of thinking of Welshness that were taking root.

Module Skills

Skills Type	Skills details
Application of Number	n/a
Communication	Read a wide range of texts; improve their listening skills during the lectures, and consequently develop skills in note taking; demonstrate and develop the ability to communicate ideas in the essay; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but not assessed.
Improving own Learning and Performance	Students are encouraged to make use of advice given in the individual tutorial for essay feedback on how to improve research and communication skills.
Information Technology	Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be encouraged to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. 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	Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems and to undertake appropriate research for seminars and the essay
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 awareness of appropriate sources and historical literature associated with study of modern Wales.
Team work	Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4