The Habsburg Monarchy of Austria-Hungary 1867-1918

Module title	The Habsburg Monarchy of Austria-Hungary 1867-1918
Module code	HIH1609
Academic year	2019/0
Credits	15
Module staff	(Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	25

Module description

This module introduces you to one of the most bizarre states in modern European history, the Habsburg Monarchy of the ‘dualist’ period. Austria-Hungary was a union of two different states, with the monarch directing external affairs. This Dual Monarchy was a multinational empire, and in an age of rising nationalism this complicated domestic and foreign relations. It was a fertile ground for intellectual and artistic interaction, while politically being dysfunctional to the point of meltdown. The course utilises primary sources both traditional and non-traditional, including visual ones, to illuminate the extraordinary cultural ferment made possible by this juxtaposition of peoples.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module explores sources relating to a wide range of issues relevant to both the Habsburg Monarchy and larger historical problems: the institutional ‘mix’ required to run a multinational empire; the nature of nationalism; the stresses of modernisation; and what might be called cultural cross-fertilisation. Seminars will focus on these issues, and you will be encouraged to think laterally in terms of what constitutes an historical source, including artistic and literary evidence, and how such sources should be evaluated.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Understand and assess the nature of the problems facing the Habsburg Monarchy in this period, as well as some of the more positive aspects of this multinational empire
2. Work critically with a range of written and visual sources relating to constitutional, national, foreign political and cultural developments in the Dualist period

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Identify the problems of using historical sources, e.g. utility, limitations, etc., and compare the validity of different types of sources
4. Present work orally, respond to questions orally, and think quickly of questions to ask other students

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Conduct independent study and group work, including the presentation of material for group discussion, developed through the mode of learning
6. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment
7. Work with others in a team and to interact effectively with the tutor and the wider group
8. Write to a very tight word-length

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

Introduction: The Habsburg Monarchy in European History
The Making of Dualism
The Problem with Dualism
Monarchy on Short Notice: Political and National Dysfunctionality
Dynastic Loyalty and National Indifference
Economic Modernisation and Cultural Interaction
Melting Pot? Literature and the Arts
Melting Pot? Intellectual Trends and the Strains of Modernity
Dilemmas of Foreign Policy and the Origins of the First World War
The Last Days of Mankind 1914-1918
Conclusion: Anachronism or Harbinger?

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	2	2 hour lecture: Introduction to module
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	20	10 x 2 hour seminars. At a meeting of the whole class generally a different group of 3-4 students will give a presentation to the whole class, followed by class discussion and working through the sources for that week carefully. Additional sources may be issued in the class and the lecturer will also use the time to set up issues for the following week.
Guided Independent Study	128	Students prepare for the session through reading and research; writing five source commentaries and an essay and preparing one group presentation in the course of the term.

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Group presentation (3-4 students)	10-15 minutes	1-7	Oral
Lowest mark from portfolio of 4 source commentaries	750 words	1-3, 5-6, 8	Mark and written comments

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
3 highest marks from portfolio of 4 source commentaries	100	2250 words (750 per commentary)	1-3,5-6,8	Mark and written comments

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
3 highest marks from portfolio of 4 source commentaries	3 highest marks from portfolio of 4 source commentaries	1-3, 5-6, 8	Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Armour, Ian D. A History of Eastern Europe 1740-1918: Empires, Nations and Modernisation, 2^nd edition. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2012.
Bridge, F.R. The Habsburg Monarchy among the Great Powers 1815-1918. New York: Berg, 1990.
Cornwall, Mark (ed.) The Last Years of Austria-Hungary: A Multi-National Experiment in Early Twentieth-Century Europe. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002.
Fichtner, Paula Sutter. The Habsburg Empire: From Dynasticism to Multinationalism. Malabar, Fl: Krieger, 1997.
Mason, John W. The Dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867-1918, 2nd edition. Harlow: Longman, 1997.
Rady, Martyn. The Habsburg Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: OUP, 2017.
Sked, Alan. The Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire 1815-1918, 2^nd edition. Harlow: Longman, 2001.
Williamson, Samuel J., Jr. Austria-Hungary and the Origins of the First World War. London: Macmillan, 1990.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Key words search

Habsburg Monarchy, Eastern Europe

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	4
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	11/06/2014
Last revision date	09/07/2019