Unit name | Europe Since 1945: A Fractured History |
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Unit code | HIST30105 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Mr. Bjerstrom |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will explore the history of Eastern and Western Europe from the end of the Second World War until the collapse of communism from different historiographical angles. Historians of economics, ethnicity, the environment, or democracy may draw divergent conclusions about what is important about Europe's post-war journey. Periodisation, for example, looks very different depending on one's perspective: for the historian of the Cold War, 1961 is likely to be a key date. An economic historian may well believe that 1973 was of longer-term significance. Equally, Eastern and Western Europe look much more similar under some lenses (increasing prosperity) than others (levels of democratic participation). Finally, what common ground do historians share? One answer may be a common preoccupation with detail: whether we zoom in on changes in what people ate or zoom out to examine the changing geo-political situation, we need to be alive to complexity and difference.
Aims:
These unit types offer students a further opportunity to work within a long-term historical perspective, both chronological and thematic, across different time frames and a range of countries/cultures/societies. The combination of interactive lectures and written work enable students to respond in a critical way to the particular approach taken within the individual options and allow them to develop their own ideas.
This particular unit aims:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1 x 2-hour lecture per week
1 x 1-hour seminar per week
One 3000 word essay (50%) [ILOs 1-5]
One 2-hour exam (50%) [ILOs 1-5]