This module introduces students to a broad range of topics from the Early Modern period (c.1500-1800). It will examine many aspects of the early-modern world, including its social, economic, military, political, intellectual, religious and cultural history, some of which will be framed within a global context. Drawing on particular areas of staff expertise, the module will discuss the important changes that took place during this period and expose students to the ways these can be studied, proceeding broadly chronologically from the Renaissance and the Reformation through the upheavals of the seventeenth century to the Revolutions of the eighteenth. The module will include introductions to topics taught in more depth in optional modules at second and final year. Through analysis of relevant primary and secondary source material, including texts, visual and material culture, and online resources, students will gain first-hand experience of some of the issues involved in the scholarly study of this period.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Explain and analyse key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny;
Examine effectively appropriate historical evidence and show recognition of the issues concerned with its interpretation;
Work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny;
Communicate explanation and analysis of the subject clearly and effectively in writing.
