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. 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involve a detailed examination of primary as well as secondary sources, (documents, newspapers etc) both published and unpublished, and students will be tested on their ability to compare different source materials from the period under scrutiny.
Module Summary: This course examines the rich body of surviving objects from the Tudor period to explore how key themes in the study of early modern history were experienced by people in everyday life. Each week we will discuss the ways in which a particular object—including the legendary ‘Round Table’ of King Arthur, a nit-comb from the wreck of the Mary Rose flagship, a defaced religious icon, a witch-bottle and a codpiece—might inform our understanding of, for example, dynasty; sacred monarchy; religious change; religious persecution; discovery; colonisation; social mobility; the supernatural; the life-cycle; gender; health and hygiene. We will study objects alongside a range of other primary sources such as popular print, religious tracts, diaries and journals, conduct literature, travel literature, technical manuals and wills to place material culture within a wider interpretative context and a more rounded history of the period. We will investigate and vote for additional objects each week to arrive collectively by the end of the course at our own version of a history of the Tudors in 100 objects.
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.
Assessment
32130-01 : Take Home Paper : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Unseen (100%)
