| Unit name | European Society |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM2046 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Raymond |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit examines aspects of the evolution of modern European society, both in terms of the political and social pressures that have shaped its constituent parts and in the way the impetus for change crossed national borders. It begins with an overview of European societies when they co-existed in a continent notable for the absence of borders and states. This is followed by a focus on the challenge to absolutism, notably in France, and the struggle for the establishment of the democratic nation-state in Europe. The unit will chart the emergence of liberal democracy and then analyse the dynamics that led to challenges to the liberal democratic model from left and right. With the restoration of liberal democracy, the unit will study the forces behind the creation of a European social and political entity and the attempt to promote new concepts such as trans-national sovereignty, and the concomitant tensions between national and European identities. Students will be introduced to key concepts via examples drawn from a range of different countries, so broadening and contextualising existing knowledge and deepening their understanding of the emergence of contemporary Europe.
The unit aims to give the students a clear understanding of how social and political forces have interacted in order to drive the evolution of Europe. The students will emerge with a representative knowledge of the diverse nations of Europe, but also a confident grasp of the components that constitute a common identity and the pressures at the base of European society. The concepts and skills developed will enable students to write dissertations which reference the broad framework outlined in the unit description, and the unit also serves as preparation for further postgraduate study, leading to a research degree.
Students will be able:
(1)to demonstrate sophisticated knowledge of European political identity since the late eighteenth century (2)to critically interpret specific examples of diversity and commonality in European culture (3)to analyse theoretical and historiographical sources at an advanced level (4)to construct independent research on the basis of classroom stimuli (5)to make informed, sophisticated judgments on independently researched material (6)to construct complex, focused arguments in writing.
Weekly 1.5-hour seminars
1 x 5,000-word essay (Intended Learning Outcomes 1-6)
