Overseas Exploration, European Diplomacy, and the Rise of Tudor England
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST3062 | History | 3 | 40 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- HIST3062
- School
- History
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 40
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
This module evaluates the ways in which ideas during the Renaissance had an impact on both long-distance exploration and interstate relations. Also, of primary importance will be situating Tudor England in a pan-European context, thereby helping students better understand the rise of this island nation to become a global superpower.
Target Students
Only available to level 3 or 4 single or joint honours History students and Liberal Arts students.
Classes
- One 3-hour seminar each week for 20 weeks
Assessment
- 30% Coursework 1: 3,000 word coursework essay
- 30% Coursework 2: 3,000 word source-based assessment
- 40% Coursework 3: 3,500 word synoptic essay
Assessed in both autumn & spring semest
Educational Aims
This module is designed to offer students a firm grounding and detailed knowledge of intellectual and practical developments regarding foreign relations and diplomacy in Tudor England and wider Europe. It therefore complements existing modules on medieval England and Stuart Britain, as well as those evaluating the European mainland. Specific knowledge and skills gained and honed by students in this module are detailed below in ‘Learning Outcomes’.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge –
Sound understanding of how interstate relations were conducted during the sixteenth century, and how Renaissance diplomacy had changed since 1400
Thorough comprehension of how England’s minor role on the European stage in 1500 had dramatically transformed by 1603
Critical engagement with students and scholars of mainland Europe on issues with direct relevance to both the British Isles and the mainland
Intellectual skills –
Imaginative thinking regarding themes and developments in the subject matter
Critical analysis of secondary sources and awareness of historiographical interpretations
Contextualisation of wide bodies of primary and secondary sources
Building arguments and narratives based on readings and considered reflection
Professional skills –
Finding academic resources both in print and available in electronic format
Organizing primary and secondary sources for detailed analysis
Planning, writing, and presenting complex pieces of work
Working both individually and as part of a group
Transferable skills –
Meticulous written and oral communication in formal English
Source analysis and critical thinking
Reflection on details in relation to the whole (i.e. the place of trees in the wood)
Responsibility for one’s own learning but with confidence to ask for assistance