| Unit name | Pirates (Level H Lecture Response Unit) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST30032 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Stone |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
In the popular imagination, historical pirates are romantic figures, with Long John Silver and Johnny Depp setting the tone for the way pirates are conceived. The historical reality of piracy, however, was more diverse and often more menacing, while piracy itself remains a serious issue in the modern world. From the Dunkirkers and Barbary Corsairs who harried shipping at the close of the Middle Ages to the Somalian Pirates of today, piracy has been a constant of maritime life. This unit will explore piracy throughout history in all of its forms: from the ‘robbers of the sea’, through the privateering of the Elizabethan Age, to the modern pirates of the Indian Ocean and China Seas. We will explore a range of issues including what drove people to piracy, how pirates organised themselves and the nature of the threat that piracy posed or poses. Other themes will include: official responses to piracy, the relationship between piracy and the law, popular perceptions of pirates and the varied relationships between piracy, diplomacy, state formation and imperial growth.
On successful completion of this unit students will have developed: (1) a broad understanding of the history of piracy from Middle Ages to the modern world; (2) the ability to analyse and generalise about how and why piracy develops and how states and international organisations have sought to foster or suppress it; (3) the ability to select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general issues and arguments; (4) the ability to identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically, and form an individual viewpoint.
1 x 2-hour interactive lecture per week.
One summative coursework essay of 3000 words (50%) and one unseen examination of two hours (50%). Both elements will assess ILOs 1-4.
K.R. Andrews, Elizabethan Privateering: Privateering During the Anglo-Spanish War, 1585-1603, (London, 1964)
P. Earle, The Pirate Wars, (London, 2004)
A.G. Jamieson, Lords of the Sea: A History of the Barbary Corsairs, (London, 2012)
G. Moore (ed.), Pirates and Mutineers of the Nineteenth Century: Swashbucklers and Swindlers, (Farnham, 2011)
M. Rediker, Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age, (London, 2012)
C.M. Senior, A Nation of Pirates: English Piracy in its Heyday, (Newton Abbot, 1976)
