Napoleonic Europe and its Aftermath, 1799-1848
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST3098 | History | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST3098
- School
- History
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module looks at the development of Europe from the rise of Napoleon until the 1848 Revolutions. The German historian Thomas Nipperdey once wrote that ‘in the beginning was Napoleon’. Napoleon broadened and reshaped the dynamics of the French Revolution, war and state reform. He was also a symbol of a new world where an individual from a lower noble family and an obscure island could dominate the continent. The module takes a chronological view of politics, international affairs, war, personalities and ideas. Coverage will focus on France, the German states, Prussia, Austria, Russia and Northern Italy. The general structure will be: legacy of the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, Napoleonic Europe at its Zenith, Napoleon’s Fall, the Congress of Vienna and the 1815 Settlement of Europe, ideological and cultural currents in early 19th century Europe, government and politics, the situation in 1848.
Target Students
Students must have taken HIST1001 or HIST1002. Also available to exchange students hosted by the Department of History.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: Individually assessed coursework item (3,000 words)
- 50% Coursework 2: Individually assessed coursework item (3,000 words)
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
By the end of the module there should be knowledge and understanding of: the basic ideas and concepts surrounding the French Revolution, Napoleon and the early nineteenth century in general; the changing structures, traditions and institutions of politics within Europe; the prevailing cultural trends and ideas of the time; the major historiographical debates and issues associated with Napoleon and the era 1815-1848; the motives, thinking and policies of the thinkers and politicians of the era.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding. You should develop the following intellectual and practical skills:
• To think critically and imaginatively about European politics, culture and society;
• to engage with the key themes of political change, revolution, war and intellectual life;
• to assess and evaluate competing historiographical interpretations;
• to construct coherent, independent and compelling arguments on the subject matter;
• to analyse information and arguments from a range of primary and secondary sources;
• to provide appropriate footnotes and a bibliography in essays.
Intellectual Skills: Students should:
• Develop critical thinking
• Become aware of, and engage with, differing historical interpretations of specific topics.
• Engage in informed discussion of historical materials.
• Construct an original historical argument.
Professional/practical skills: Students will:
• Undertake relevant research and construct a reasoned argument, both orally and in writing
• Engage with the current historiographical debate
• Manage a vast body of primary/secondary sources and identity and contrast key arguments in those materials
• Deliver a rigorous piece of historical research on a specific topic
• Use university library/internet/IT resources to find source materials
Transferable/key skills: Students should:
• Possess the ability to construct and defend a well-researched argument, both orally and in writing
• Manage a vast body of source materials
• Develop teamwork
• Take responsibility for their own learning
• Develop time-management skills