From the Tsar to the Emperor: Russia in the Early Modern Period 1547-1725
| Code |
School |
Level |
Credits |
Semesters |
| HIST2018 |
History |
2 |
20 |
Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST2018
- School
- History
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module considers:
the emergence of Muscovite Russia as a major player on the European arena by the early eighteenth centurythe structure of political power in early modern Russiarapid territorial and racial expansion from the sixteenth century and its consequencesthe Time of Troubles: Muscovys first civil war and the change of ruling dynastythe struggle of the Russian crown to curtail the power of its aristocracythe beginning of Russias slow progress towards Westernisationthe ground-breaking reforms of Peter I
Target Students
2nd-year BA History Single and Joint Honours only
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Two-hour seminar is fortnightly. This module ties in with Doing History, a series of lectures and seminars designed to: i) develop your awareness of both the craft of the historian and the discipline of history; ii) refine your key historical skills, including essay-writing, source analysis and critical reflection; and iii) support you in your development as a historian.
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: Piece of individually assessed coursework
- 50% Coursework 2: Piece of individually assessed coursework
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
The purpose of this module is to explore in depth the transformation of Muscovite Russia from the medium-sized grand ducal state it was at the beginning of the sixteenth century to an empire and the world’s largest country by 1725. It offers a coherent view of the development of Russia’s political, social and cultural institutions throughout this period. The module also discusses the emergence of principal areas of tension, which would have a long-term effect on Russian history: Russia’s growing territory and diverse population; the increasingly centripetal nature of state organisation; the monarchy’s over-reliance upon the nobility in running the country; the attendant difficulty of exerting efficient control over a political entity of such complexity.
Learning Outcomes
a. Knowledge and understanding of:
the impact of the geographic and climatic factors on the course of Russian history, politics, society and culture in early modern Muscovyits evolution into a multinational and multiracial empirecontinuity and change in Russian history; the main lines of historiographical debates surrounding Russia’s ‘special way in history’the reflection of ‘Otherness’ in how Russia was perceived abroadb. Intellectual skills:
to think critically and imaginatively about the transformation of Russia in the early modern periodto develop an awareness of the range of secondary sources for the study of Russian history in the period under discussionto form independent judgments based on the evidence acquired in the process of learningto identify key problems pertaining to the subjectto assess and evaluate competing historical interpretations found in literatureto formulate conclusions in a competent and coherent fashionc. Professional/practical skills:
to assess, categorise and synthesise information obtained from secondary sourcesto pinpoint and evaluate central arguments in those materialsto demonstrate essential footnoting and bibliographical skillsto use the electronic and library resources effectivelyto use IT to complete written assignments in line with the conventions adopted by the Schoold. Transferable skills:
to manage large, incomplete and disparate bodies of knowledgeto take responsibility for their own learningto work as part of a teamto allocate individual study time efficiently and meet deadlinesto offer a clearly structured argument in their written workto communicate their thoughts in an articulate and concise manner orally and in writingto use IT and the appropriate Internet resources
Conveners