HI4011 - Modern British History: Themes and Debates

Each week you will attend a one-hour lecture and a two-hour seminar. The lectures will introduce you to key events, themes and issues; they will also expose you to some of the historical debates and controversies that surround these. Lectures provide core information and ideas to students and key themes developed in these settings will be explored in seminars through more specific analysis of historical case studies that illuminate these wider historical issues.

You will be expected to prepare for the weekly seminars by attending the lectures and undertaking essential and recommended reading. You will also build on your independent reading by presenting your ideas and responses to the lectures and reading materials in seminar discussions with your peers. All learning materials, tasks and readings will be posted on the eLearning Portal (Blackboard) to enable participation within the seminar programme. You will participate in formative assessment activities and receive feedback, and will be responsible for your own guided and independent learning. Summative assessment – a reflective essay written in response to a simulated experiential learning activity, a source analysis, and an exam – tests your knowledge of modern British history, and assesses the extent to which you have met the module’s learning outcomes.

Your academic development will be supported through engagement with your peers, academic tutors, and the module convenor. Tutors will be accessible within publicised feedback and consultation hours and via email. Your peers will provide you with a collaborative learning environment, and your module tutor will guide you through the requirements and expectations of your course. Your seminar tutor will work with you and your peers to make sense of the module material in the seminar. You will also be supported through individual engagement with the academic literature, lectures, and resources available on the eLearning portal. Formative feedback will be on-going throughout the module: tutors will respond in class to how you are interpreting texts, framing arguments, and developing opinions.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of key themes in the development of Britain in the period from the late eighteenth century to the early twenty first century.
2. Exhibit an understanding of key concepts and issues across the period, including empire, post-colonialism, the development of democracy, and the impact of war and conflict on society.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Identify and deploy a variety of important historical writing in the study of British history.
4. Exhibit an ability to select relevant material across period and place and deploy this evidence in written form and in response to a simulated learning experience.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Develop enquiry skills by presenting ideas and knowledge in seminar discussions with others.

There are three assessments for this module:

1. A 1,000 word reflective essay written in response to a simulated experiential learning activity (30%). MLO 2-4
2. A 750 word primary source analysis (20%), MLO 1-5
3. An examination (50%). MLO 1-5



Formative assessment is undertaken by way of seminar discussions and essay tutorials where students develop subject knowledge, the understanding of historiographical debate, and the enhanced use and understanding of conceptual and critical analysis.

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This module provides a thematic survey of Britain in the transformative period since the late eighteenth century: that is the period in which Britain became modern. The module explores key themes that complement other modules. The module will provide a broad overview and introduction to major historical debates about Britain’s transition to modernity across a range of different areas, including the development of new forms of identity, the rise of the modern welfare state, the evolution of democracy, the economic and social changes associated with the Industrial Revolution, and the global connections that were intrinsic to Britain’s status as an imperial power. In this way the module encourages the development of the historian’s analytical skills across time. Among the key themes covered are: environment and economy, health and welfare, empire and imperialism, gender, religion and belief, war and conflict, migration and movement, and power and politics. The module examines historical phenomena such as imperialism, industrialisation, and world wars while also considering the importance of collective and individual identities, including those relating to gender, race, and nation. The module is taught through lectures and seminars and is assessed via a reflection on experiential learning, a primary source analysis (both submitted mid-semester) and an examination (sat in the end-of-semester assessment period).