In the Heart of Europe: Histories of Modern Poland
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST2064 | History | 2 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST2064
- School
- History
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
Across the twentieth century, Poland’s rulers, borders, and inhabitants have undergone significant changes. Poland was colonised by Empires, divided and occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, reconfigured by democracies, and fundamentally shaped by life behind the Iron Curtain under communist rule. Today, as right-wing populism surges, Poland is undergoing another dramatic change. Close to one million Polish-born citizens live in the UK today, the largest overseas-born group, yet few in Britain know anything about Poland and its rich, vibrant, and tumultuous history. A history of Poland, and the people(s) inhabiting Polish lands, will help students to understand this rising economic power in the heart of Europe. Placing it in relation to its neighbours to the east and west will emphasise how Poland, in its current form, is a product of both sides and the long shadows of partition, independence, war, occupation, and communism.
Using a wealth of primary material from translated memoirs to poetry, film, music, comics, and visual propaganda alongside official documentation and historiography, this module will provide a comprehensive history of Poland’s twentieth century, and how it has been affected by neighbours to the east and west. It presents the social, political, and cultural history from Partitioned Poland to gaining independence and advancing civic and cultural freedoms, to an analysis of contemporary Poland’s increasingly restrictive society. In thematically organised topics, often drawing sharp distinctions and parallels between Poland and her neighbours, the major processes of modernisation through selected case studies will highlight the significance of twentieth-century Poland in Europe.
Target Students
Only available to level 2 single or joint honours History students, Liberal Arts students or Exchange students hosted by the Department of History.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework: 2,500 word Essay
- 50% Presentation: Individual digital presentation - between 12-15 minutes
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to: (i) introduce students to new and innovative methodologies and provide new perspectives on the history of twentieth century Poland and its engagement with its neighbours (and the wider world); (ii) introduce students to current scholarly debates about Poland and her history, and how this has shaped contemporary Europe; (iii) Enhance students’ abilities to draw upon and critically assess a wide range of primary sources.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding: By the end of this module, in their assessed work, students should be able to: (i) place twentieth-century Poland into a wider European, and sometimes global context; (ii) demonstrate understanding of major events in Poland’s C20th; (iii) recognise the disparity in Poland’s demographic makeup pre- and post-World War 2; (iv) have a wider appreciation of Poland’s centrality to C20th European history.
Intellectual skills: By the end of the module students should be able to: (i) critically engage with the historiography on Poland’s C20th; (ii) critically assess a diverse range of primary source material and be inventive with source choices; (iii) synthesise major historical arguments and provide their own perspectives; (iv) be mindful of translation issues and cultural assumptions.
Professional/Practical Skills: The module will develop students’ ability to: (i) select, sift, and synthesise information from a range of primary and secondary materials; (ii) identify and compare key arguments in the secondary materials while critically evaluating primary; (iii) apply appropriate footnoting and bibliographical skills; (iv) use IT resources to access historical sources and information.
Transferable skills: The module will also develop students’ ability to: (i) manage a large and disparate body of information; (ii) express themselves clearly, coherently, and fluently in essays, source analyses and other written work, as well as within oral presentations; (iii) work and learn actively with others, including small group work and out-of-class assignments to add to the ‘scrapbook’; (iv) manage and take responsibility for their own learning. (v) effectively use research skills to locate digital resources and physical archives for research and presentation purposes.