Revolution
| Module title | Revolution |
|---|---|
| Module code | HIH3336 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Matt Rendle (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 32 |
|---|
Module description
Along with major wars, with which they are often associated, revolutionary struggles have formed some of the most dramatic turning points in the development of human societies and their governments. At times the threat and promise of revolution has been an all-consuming preoccupation, epitomised by ‘classic’ revolutions such as those in France in 1789 and Russia in 1917, but also encompassing many other examples of both successful and failed attempts at revolutionary change right up to the present day. On this module you will take an inter-disciplinary approach to the global phenomenon of revolutionary change, starting before 1789 when revolution tended to be a word ascribed to significant events after they had occurred before moving to the post-1789 period when the idea of revolution changed and people became consciously involved in attempts to reshape their governments and societies in the hope for a better future, even if the end result was often very different.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This ‘Concepts’ module requires you to engage with historical ideas and theories relating to revolutions that are applicable across time and space.â?¯You will be encouraged to think beyond the detail of your Special Subjects and Dissertations, using a range of illustrative case studies to examine broader ideas.â?¯You will have to consider how ideas and concepts about revolutions vary, develop, or manifest consistently in different time periods and places, and why they are constructed as they are. What can this tell us about past peoples and societies, and what are the implications for the world in which we now live?â?¯
All History ‘Concepts’ modules are partly project-based, requiring you to take the initiative.â?¯ In the first half of term, a team of tutors will introduce themes, concepts, and ideas, setting you up for the rest of the module.â?¯ The second half of term is student-led: you will work in groups to develop your understanding of revolutions and lead a seminar to teach fellow students more about revolutions through a series of case-studies.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Analyse and explain key developments in the histories of revolution across different historical time-periods and geographical regions
- 2. Evaluate carefully and critically the approaches that historians and scholars working in other disciplines have taken to the concept of revolution.
- 3. Define suitable research topics for independent study/student-led seminars?on the history of revolution.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Analyse the key developments in complex and unfamiliar political, social, cultural or intellectual environments
- 5. Evaluate different and complex types of historical source and historiography.
- 6. Present work in the format expected of historians, including footnoting and bibliographical references.
- 7. Identify and deploy correct terminology in a comprehensible and sophisticated manner
- 8. Evaluate critically different approaches to history in a contested area
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Work both in a team and independently in order to prepare and lead a seminar
- 10. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment.
Syllabus plan
While content may vary from year to year, it is anticipated that the module may cover some or all of the following:
The definition and nature of revolution;
Theories of revolution;
Revolutionary movements and ideas;
Forms of revolution;
Dynamics of revolution;
Leadership and agency;
Propaganda;
Gender;
Violent and non-violent revolutions;
Anti-colonial revolution;
Revolutionary justice;
Social and cultural transformations;
Revolutionary outcomes;
Counterrevolution;
Commemorating revolution.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 273 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 9 | 9 x 1-hour workshops |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 2 | 2 x 1-hour lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 16 | Seminars (tutor-led = 5x2 hours; student-led = 6x1 hour) |
| Guided independent study | 273 | Reading and preparation for seminars, workshops, and assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar plan and schedule of work | 1,000 words | 1-9 | Oral |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student-led seminar, including supporting materials | 45 | 1 hour | 1-9 | Written |
| Written assignment | 45 | 3000 words | 1,2,4-8,10 | Written |
| Attendance at student-led seminars and support workshops | 5 | Attendance at student-led seminars and support workshops | 9 | N/A |
| Full completion of ELE log | 5 | Full completion of ELE log | 9 | N/A |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student-led seminar, including supporting materials | 5-minute recorded introduction to the topic; 10-minute recording explaining supporting materials and intentions for their use in a seminar; supporting materials | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral Period |
| Written assignment (3000 words) | Written assignment (3000 words) | 1,2,4-8,10 | Referral/Deferral Period |
Re-assessment notes
The re-assessment consists of a 3000-word Written Assignment, as in the original assessment, but replaces leading a student-led seminar with recordings and supporting materials that correspond to one student’s contribution to such a seminar. The introduction should outline the student’s understanding of the topic; the longer recording should explain how the seminar would be structured and organised, as well as detailing the material to be used. This will enable the marker to gain a sense of what the student’s understanding of their concept and its specific application in the seminar, what the student intended to do in the seminar, and the rationale for this activity, as well as enabling them to assess the student’s oral seminar-leading skills.
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
Keith Baker, Inventing the French Revolution (Stanford, 1990)
Keith Baker and Dan Edelstein (eds.), Scripting Revolution: A Historical Approach to the Comparative Study of Revolutions (Stanford, 2015)
Jack Goldstone, Revolutions: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2014)
Fred Halliday, Revolution and World Politics: The Rise and Fall of the Sixth Great Power (London, 1999)
Mehran Kamrava, A Concise History of Revolution (2020)
Mark Katz, Revolutions and Revolutionary Waves (London, 1997)
George Lawson, Anatomies of Revolution (Cambridge, 2019)
David Motadel (eds.), Revolutionary Worlds: Global Upheaval in the Modern World (2021)
Ilan Rachum, “Revolution”: The Entrance of a New Word in Western Political Discourse (Lanham, 1999)
Eric Selbin, Revolution, Rebellion, Resistance: The Power of Story (2010)
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Last revision date | 27/08/2024 |
