This module (and its co-requisite: Conflict, nationalism and genocide in East Central Europe, ca. 1880 – 1953 (Masters): A) will allow students to study a historical theme or area in great depth, under the guidance of an individual member of staff. 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. Like Part A, Part B will involve a detailed examination of primary as well as secondary sources, (documents, newspapers etc) both published and unpublished, and students will be tested on their ability to compare different source materials from the period under scrutiny. On the basis of secondary literature as well as diverse primary material (such as archival documents and historical maps), the seminar will allow students to look at how different ethnic, social, and religious groups in East Central Europe interacted on a social and political level, how both conflicts and cooperation were carried out. This will involve looking at issues such as nationalism, economic networks, political visions, and violence in the consecutive but very different contexts of imperial rule, the First World War, the interwar nation states, Nazi occupation and the Holocaust, and Soviet social engineering.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
analyse and critically appraise key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny;
analyse and critically evaluate a wide range of relevant primary source material offering where appropriate, an explicitly comparative perspective;
critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration;
Summarise, synthesise and evaluate the subject material in a sophisticated written form showing an awareness of further research potential.
