Rule, Britannia? Politics and Political Thought in Britain and Ireland from the Glorious Revolution to Peterloo
| Module title | Rule, Britannia? Politics and Political Thought in Britain and Ireland from the Glorious Revolution to Peterloo |
|---|---|
| Module code | HUC2016 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Jim Kelly (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 32 |
|---|
Module description
This module will introduce you to varieties of political and social thought from Britain and Ireland in the long Eighteenth century. The Eighteenth century saw important developments in British theories of liberty, law, rhetoric, and national identity, and this interdisciplinary module looks at these issues from a range of historical, political, and cultural points of view. You will encounter foundational texts of political philosophy but also examine important historical events such as the legacy of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Seven Years War (1756-63), British reactions to upheavals caused by the French Revolution, and the Peterloo massacre of 1819. In many ways the Eighteenth century is a crucible in the development of modern British and Irish society and political culture and this module will introduce you to a range of events and philosophies from across the constituent nations of the British and Irish isles. The module does not have any pre- or co-requisite modules.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to:
- Introduce you to the political history of Britain and Ireland in the long Eighteenth century
- Provide you with a survey of important philosophical debates around liberalism, conservatism, and national identity
- Include a comprehensive survey of the period from a geographical point of view, including both central and peripheral locations in Britain and Ireland
- Show you the continued relevance of Eighteenth-century debates to contemporary political issues in Britain and Ireland
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of Eighteenth century British and Irish political history
- 2. Demonstrate an understanding of key political concepts developed in the Eighteenth century
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate and ability to relate philosophical ideas to their historical and geographical context
- 4. Demonstrate an ability to independently research primary, secondary, and tertiary material on Eighteenth century history and political thought
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Demonstrate an ability to produce high quality written work on a variety of historical and political topics
- 6. Demonstrate an ability to contribute to seminar and/or online discussions
Syllabus plan
INDICATIVE SYLLABUS PLAN (subject to change – please check ELE and TALIS for an updated list of topics and reading):
Session 1. Liberalism and Republicanism after the Revolution: Extracts from Locke’s Two Treatises on Government and Joseph Addison’s Cato
Session 2. Women and Politics in the Augustan Age: Extracts from Mary Astell’s Reflections Upon Marriage; Anne Ingram’s An Epistle to Mr Pope; Mary Leapor An Essay on Women
Session 3. Eating the Poor: Political Economy and Inequality: Jonathan Swift A Modest Proposal and extracts from Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population
Session 4. Politics in the Periphery? Cornwall in the Eighteenth Century: Primary materials will be used from FXPlus Archives and Kresen Kernow
Session 5. Picturing Politics: Visual Satire from Hogarth to Gillray: Selected images by William Hogarth and James Gillray
Session 6. Sociability and Sentiment in the Scottish Enlightenment: Essays by David Hume and extracts from Adam Smith Theory of Moral Sentiments, The Wealth of Nations and Adam Ferguson An Essay on the History of Civil Society
Session 7. The Seven Years War and Native American Encounters: Extracts from travel writings in North America
Session 8. Antiquarianism and Britishness: Extracts from James Macpherson Fragments of Ancient Poetry; Thomas Gray The Bard.
Session 9. British Reactions to the French Revolution: Extracts from Edmund Burke Reflections on the Revolution in France; Thomas Paine The Rights of Man
Session 10. Feminism and Female Political Participation: Extracts from Mary Wollstonecraft A Vindication of the Rights of Women; extracts from Maria Edgeworth Belinda
Session 11. Post-Napoleonic Radicalism and Peterloo: Essays by William Hazlitt; William Hone The Political House that Jack Built.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 132 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | 11 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | 11 x 1 hour seminars allowing for small group discussion |
| Guided Independent Study | 132 | Independent study based around suggested primary and secondary reading |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | 15 minutes | 1-4, 6 | Oral feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 40 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module engagement statement | 20 | 500 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Essay | 40 | 1500 words | 1-5 | Written |
| Exam | 40 | 1 hour | 1-5 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Engagement statement (500 words) | Module Engagement statement (500 words) | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Essay (1500 words) | Essay (1500 words) | 1-5 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Exam (1 hour) | Exam (1 hour) | 1-5 | 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 redo the assessment(s) as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Paul Langford A Politie and Commerical People (1989)
- Linda Colley Forging the Nation, 1707-1837 (1992)
- Mary Nyquist Arbitrary Rule: Slavery, tyranny, and the Power of Life and Death (2013)
- J.G.A. Pocock The Machiavellian Moment (1975)
- Mark Goldie & Robert Wokler eds. The Cambridge History of Eighteenth century political thought (2006)
- Frank O’Gorman The Long Eighteenth Century: British Political and Social History 1688-1832
- Michael Demson & Regina Hewitt eds. Commemorating Peterloo (2019)
- Carolyn Steedman History and the Law: A Love Story (2020)
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 24/11/2022 |
| Last revision date | 01/03/2022 |
