Unit name | The Making of Contemporary Britain (1918-2008) |
---|---|
Unit code | HIST20114 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Grace Huxford |
Open unit status | Not open |
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The past 100 years of British history have been characterised by enormous change. The advent of mass democracy, mass communication, mass production, and mass consumption produced novel challenges for politicians and society alike. New experiences, often driven by technological advances, and changing social formations opened up opportunities for many, whilst simultaneously serving to exclude others. Divisions along lines of class, gender, race and sexuality plagued domestic politics, resulting in fractious debates regarding the right to citizenship, to vote, to work, to marry, and even the right to a basic standard of living. Life in Britain was rarely, if ever, a uniform experience. For both historians and those living through the twentieth century explaining the continuities and changes of the period has been a challenge. In their attempts to do so, they created various narratives about the nation, its citizens, its history, and its relationship to the wider world. These are the narratives of contemporary Britain which continue to shape our understandings today.
This unit aims to introduce students to the uneven scope, scale, and pace of change in contemporary Britain. In particular students will interrogate the ways in which different narratives of continuity and change emerged in and about the twentieth century in Britain, and the purposes they have served. By exploring different areas of life – from politics, voting and protesting, to working, shopping, belief and love – students will engage with alternative ways of understanding this period in British history. Has the twentieth century really witnessed the ‘Death of Christian Britain’? Did the nation spiral into long-term economic decline after the heyday of the Victorian industrialisation? Was there a sexual revolution in the 1960s? And did the 1980s see the demise social democracy under the tutelage of Margaret Thatcher? This unit will enable students to tackle big historiographical debates in the field and to develop a more complex understanding of the political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and social upheaval of the twentieth century, all of which shape the world we live in today.
Unit Aims:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
1 x 2500-word Essay (50%) [ILOs 1-5]; 1 x Timed Assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-5]; 1 x Formative Oral Presentation [ILO 5]
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HIST20114).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.