Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Advanced Option: Experts, Scholars, and Spies: the Information Revolution in Early Modern Europe
School	History and Cultures
Department	History
Module Code	09 38744
Module Lead	Noah Millstone
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Early modern Europe was transformed by information. Using new devices, natural philosophers explored the sky, the human body, and the earth itself; travellers and missionaries studied remote cultures; and publishers used the new technology of print to produce scholarly monographs, lying pamphlets, partisan newspapers. This module introduces students to research problems in the emerging field of information history. We ask: how was knowledge produced and circulated? How did early moderns understand what they read? What was the relationship between power, social status, and the production of knowledge? Students will develop familiarity with important areas of historical research, particularly in the history of science, the history of scholarship, and the history of the book. Important themes include the print revolution, literacy and reading, the circulation of scientific and political information, popular print and newspapers, and the emergence of a Republic of Letters.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: analyse and explain key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny, analyse and explain reasons for and implications of these events and processes (including analysis of primary evidence where appropriate) compare and evaluate the main scholarly views on the subject under investigation, critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny summarise, analyse and evaluate the subject material clearly and effectively in writing, synthesise and evaluate themes across a wide range of diverse material
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: S1 = 1 x 3,000 word essay (100%)
Other
Reading List