Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Special Subject: Britain and the First World War A
School	History and Cultures
Department	History
Module Code	09 37867
Module Lead	Dan Whittingham
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites	LH Special Subject: Britain and the First World War B - (09 37868)
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Seminar-30 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module (and its co-requisite) will allow students to study a historical theme or area in great depth, under the guidance of an individual member of staff drawing on both secondary sources (i.e. books and articles) and primary sources (documents, newspapers etc), both published and unpublished. The module will allow students to study an aspect of history in detail and gain a fuller understanding of how different types of source material inform the historical process. Module Summary This module considers Britain’s role in the First World War. The Western Front that tends to dominate in popular memory today, however, the war was a global conflict, and Britain sent troops to fight Germany in Africa and against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. Moreover, Britain added to its manpower by drawing on an imperial army as colonies mobilised thousands of troops (in India’s case, more than a million). It was also a global naval war, and a war of peoples. The mass mobilisation of men to fight was backed by the unprecedented co-ordination of Britain’s resources (human, material, and financial) at home. This Special Subject considers what kind of Army Britain send off to war in 1914? Why did so many men volunteer? What happened in major battles on the Western Front? How was the war seen both in the trenches and on the home front? How did the British get on with their Allies? How was the war experienced across the British Empire? And how is the Western Front remembered in popular consciousness today?
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: analyse and appraise key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny; analyse and evaluate a wide range of relevant primary source material; critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration; summarise and evaluate the subject material with clarity and confidence, in writing
Assessment	37867-01 : 4,500 word take home exam : Exam (School Arranged) - Written Unseen (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 2,000-word essay (50%) and 1 x 10-minute individual presentations (50%) Reassessment: Resubmission of failed component(s)
Other
Reading List