Unit information: Global Empires in 2020/21

Unit name	Global Empires
Unit code	HIST30122
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Hilary Carey
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	none
Co-requisites	none
School/department	Department of History (Historical Studies)
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit examines global empires as central agents in world history. Using examples from the ancient to the modern era, students will critically examine the rise and fall of empires, their strategies and drive to power as well as the seeds of their destruction. Case studies may include the empires of Rome, Islam, the Mongols, the Ottomans, the Spanish, the Mughals, the Manchus, the Dutch, the British, the Soviets, the Japanese and the Nazis. It will engage with key concepts such as the relationship between colonies and empires, the use of violence, forced labour and tribute to build power, and the ideologies of religion, ritual and imperium that sustained them. It will challenge students to reconsider the rise of the nation state and discover how global empires have shaped the world we live in.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of issues and themes in imperial history.
2. Discuss and evaluate the key historiographical and theoretical debates surrounding the challenges of undertaking imperial history.
3. Understand and interpret primary sources and select pertinent evidence in order to illustrate specific and more general historical points
4. Present and frame their ideas in a fashion consistent with the conventions of proposals and applications familiar to the academic world and a variety of work environments.

Teaching Information

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.

Assessment Information

1 x 2500-word Mock Proposal (50%) [ILOs 1-4]

1 x Timed Assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-3]

Reading and References

Abu-Lughod, Janet, Before European Hegemony: The World System AD 1250-1350 (1991)

Barkey, Karen, Empire of Difference: The Ottomans in Comparative Perspective (2008)

Burbank, Jane and Frederick Cooper, Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference (2010)

Darwin, John, After 'Tamerlaine': The Rise & Fall of Global Empires, 1400-200 (2007)

Kennedy, Dane, The Imperial 'H'istory Wars: Debating the British Empire (2018)

Stoler, Ann Laura, Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power (2002)