national university of ireland, maynooth · web view2,500 word essay to be submitted by monday, 9...

National University of Ireland, MaynoothDEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

OPTIONAL MODULES

II ARTS SEMESTER 2 2015-16

PLEASE NOTE

Flyers provide information supplementary to that available in module descriptors, which may be viewed on the university database at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.

Students are expected to consult both flyers and module descriptors in advance of registration.

http://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, MAYNOOTH

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORYSECOND ARTS, 2015-2016

SECOND SEMESTER

Module Co-ordinator

PROFESSOR MARIAN LYONSModule codeHY 217

Credits2.5

Module titleREADING MODULE 2B

Module content

This module requires students to read one or more assigned books/articles and to present an analytical report.

A list of approved titles will be provided on the relevant Moodle site early in the semester.

Upon successful completion of the module, students should be able to compose an analytical report based on assigned reading.

Form of assessment

2,500 word essay to be submitted by Monday, 9 May 2016

Special requirements (e.g., field trips inc. cost; special sessions; books)

None



SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR DYMPNA MC LOUGHLIN

Module code HY 232

Credits5

Lecture hours per weekTwo

Module title

Modern Ireland Social Elective (B)

THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF IRELAND IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES

Module contentIrish history is a politicised history dealing mainly with male political elites. This elective on social history is focuses on the majority of the population especially the working class and the poor. Gender will also be key component of all the lectures. Children and the elderly are probably the most forgotten groups in history and the aim is to include them in as many of the lectures as possible. These two groups will figure prominently in the assessment of this module. A key part of the assessment of this elective will be working with primary sources, especially online British Parliamentary papers.

+Key areas of study in this elective are

Poverty and survival prior to the Famine Poverty and the Poor Law The Workhouse and its inhabitants The Famine - Obliteration of the Poor Industrial schools Free Education and working class people The Campaign for Family Planning Infanticide Breach of Promise cases

Form of assessmentTemplate – a brief analysis of a primary source (1000 words) 20%Extended essay on this primary source (4000 words) 80%Deadline for submission of template is Week 6 in semester two.Deadline for submission of essay is Monday, 9 May 2016Attendance requirements apply. See relevant descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.




SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR THOMAS O’CONNOR

Module code HY 247

Credits5


Module titleEarly modern Europe elective

THE IBERIAN INQUISITIONS

MODULE CONTENTThe inquisitions founded in Spain and Portugal in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries

were both instruments of ideological control and aspects of the state-building enterprises of the

Iberian monarchs. This module outlines the political and religious origins of the inquisitions. It

describes how they functioned and in what ways they contributed to the political enterprises of the

Spanish and Portuguese monarchs. As well as looking at their treatment of conversos, moriscos

and alumbrados, their role in processing foreigners, especially those from the British Isles will be

examined.

Module Aim

Students completing this module will have a sound understanding of the historical debates

concerning the origins and aims of the Iberian inquisition. They will also have an appreciation of

how the Inquisitions worked as instruments of state and how they compared to other early modern

institutions. In particular they will have an insight into the extent to which their activities can be

retrieved through archival research and will have mastered a selection of documentary sources.

Assessment

In-class presentation: 20%Analysis of primary source: 1,000 words 20%Essay (c. 3,000 words) on topic approved by module leader: 60%

Deadline for submission of essay is Monday, 9 May 2016Attendance requirements apply. See relevant descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.


Required text Helen Rawlings The Spanish Inquisition (London, 2006)

Recommended text: Francisco Bethencourt, The Inquisition: a global history, 1478-1834




SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR JENNIFER REDMOND

Module code HY 254

Credits5


Module titleModern Ireland Social Elective (A)

MODERN IRELAND: POPULATION TRENDS AND THE IMPACT OF MIGRATION

OverviewThis module examines the social impact of the demographic changes in modern Ireland, the most important of which have been the major migration flows from the post-Famine period that have shaped the country. Migration from Ireland has been the single biggest factor shaping Ireland’s population, economy and the pace of social change in the modern era. There are other significant impacts of the Famine we will consider in-depth: rural depopulation, late or delayed marriages, high celibacy rates and high fertility rates. We will also explore cultures of death and dying in Ireland. As part of this module students examine the statistical, oral and documentary evidence on population change in Ireland from 1850-1950 using a multiplicity of source material including newspapers, letters and public statements, the 1901 and 1911 Censuses (available online), parliamentary debates and other personal sources. We will also critically interrogate the arena of social commentary in journals and newspapers to determine how population change was framed in positive and negative terms at different points in time in the twentieth century. Students will also reflect upon a number of critical questions, and generate their own, in the course of their research and presentations: what were the local and national effects of population change in Ireland? How did migration affect those who stayed in Ireland? What kinds of evidence can we use to reconstruct attitudes to migration in the past? At the conclusion of this module students will have honed their research skills using traditional archives and the available digital resources. During the course of the semester, students will have completed an independent piece of research based on primary and secondary sources, and given a class presentation on a topic of their choice. This module requires individual and group work, evidence of reading and active participation in class discussions.

AssessmentArchival visit and preparation of primary source research report 10%In-class test/presentation/etc 15%Research project (approximately 4,000 words) based on primary sourceson a topic approved by the lecturer: 75%Deadline for submission of essay is Monday, 9 May 2016Attendance requirements apply. See relevant descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.


Trip to the National Archives in Dublin to examine primary source material




SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR JONATHAN WRIGHT

Module code HY 272

Credits5


Module titleMODERN BRITISH ELECTIVESLAVERY AND ANTI-SLAVERY IN THE BRITISH WORLD, c. 1750-1833

Module contentIn 1562 John Hawkins, cousin of Sir Francis Drake, captured 300 Africans from Sierra Leone, inaugurating British involvement in ‘the largest forced migration in history’ – the Atlantic slave-trade. By the mid-eighteenth century, Britain had emerged as a leading player in this trade and slavery had become central to the Atlantic economy. Transported to the British colonies in America and the West Indies, slaves produced sugar, tobacco and, above all, profits. Vast fortunes were made on the back of the slave trade and transatlantic slavery impacted British society in multiple ways. Yet, by 1807 the lucrative trade in slaves had been prohibited by parliament, and while slavery persisted as an institution in the British colonies, this too was abolished in 1833.

This module will provide students with an opportunity to explore the character of British involvement in the slave trade, and to examine the reasons for its abolition and its long–term consequences. Situating Britain within the wider ‘Atlantic world’, the module will stress that slavery was not just something that happened ‘over there’, in the colonies, but something that had real and tangible consequences ‘at home’ in Britain. To this end, a range of themes will be explored, including: the middle passage and the triangular trade; plantation life and slave rebellion; the growth of Britain’s slave-trading ports; consumption and the cultural impact of slavery; the culture of abolition; and the continuing legacy of Britain’s involvement in the slave trade.

Module aimHaving completed the module, students will have engaged with key historiographical debates relating both to slavery and the ‘Atlantic World’, and will have developed a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted nature of British involvement in the slave trade and an appreciation of its on-going significance. In addition they will have used a range of traditional and online archival resources, and will have been given an opportunity to develop their written and oral presentation skills by completing in-class presentations and written assignments.

Assessment: In-class presentations 20%Analysis of primary source (c. 1,500 words) 20%Essay (c. 2,500-3,000 words) on a topic approved by the lecturer: 60%Deadline for submission of essay: Monday, 9 May 2016

Attendance requirements apply. See relevant descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.




SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR ALISON FITZGERALD

Module code HY 278

Credits5


Module title

DOMESTIC WORLDS: THE GEORGIANS AT HOME

Module contentThis module explores the British and Irish home during the eighteenth century and provides an intimate look at the material world of the Georgians. It considers the currency of a prescribed language of taste, the agency of women in fitting out interiors, the relationship between town and country, and the way in which formal visiting encouraged a culture of emulation and competition as contemporaries vied to keep up appearances. What was new? Who lead taste? How did new technology transform the sort of goods that people bought, used and coveted? Was there a clear distinction along gender lines in terms of fashionable commodities? Using a wide range of primary sources from diaries and letters, to account books and inventories, this module will consider the material culture of the Georgians at home.

Assessment

In-class assessment: 40%Research project (approximately 4,000 words) 60%Deadline for submission of essay: Monday, 9 May 2016Attendance requirements apply. See relevant descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.

Special requirements (e.g., field trips inc. cost; special sessions; books)The number of students admitted to this module is limited to 25. There will be some site visits with this module, which will take place on Friday afternoons or Saturday mornings.



DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY SECOND ARTS , 2015-16

SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR JOHN PAUL NEWMAN

Module code HY 281

Credits5


Module titleModern Europe electiveTRIALS OF THE CENTURY: THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE IN EUROPE’S TWENTIETH CENTURY

Module Description The twentieth century in Europe was marked by a relatively new phenomenon, that of the ‘political trial’. Throughout the last century trials have been an object of political importance and considerable public interest. They are a chance for the state or states in question to demonstrate to its citizens and to the world its commitment to justice or its resolve to punish those people who step outside of its legal boundaries. The trials of leading Nazis at Nuremberg at the end of the Second World War and of Adolf Eichmann in Israel in the 1960s have set an important precedent in contemporary international law, establishing the basis for trials in the former Communist leader Georgi Dimitrov confrontsYugoslavia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. But Hermann Goering at the Reichstag Fire Trial, 1933there is a darker side to this story, too: whenthe Nazis falsely accused the communist leader Georgi Dimitrov of burning down the Reichstag building in 1933, their aim was not to deliver justice, but rather to humiliate a powerful political opponent (the German Communist Party) and consolidate their own revolution. Similarly, the ‘Moscow Show trials’ of the second-half of the 1930s were a travesty of due process conducted purely to bolster support for Stalin and his regime. And the ‘kangaroo court’ that delivered a death sentence to Romanian communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena was deeply flawed, irrespective of the guilt of the accused.

Each week, we will look at an important example of a political trial, exploring its background, the accused and the charges against them, and the sentence they received. We will consider whether or not a fair decision was made (through in-class presentations) in each of these cases. As we go deeper into the module, we will ask the important question, can such trials ever escape the boundaries of war, contemporary politics, history, and truly serve justice?

Assessment:In-class Presentation (the weekly ‘Re-trial’) 30%Final written assignment 70%Attendance requirements apply. See relevant module descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.

http://www.nuim.ie/courses



SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR THOMAS O’CONNOR

Module code HY 286

Credits5


Module title

Early modern British elective:

EARLY MODERN BRITISH AND IRISH MIGRATION TO EUROPE

Overview

This module looks at how and why mobile sections of the population of the British Isles migrated

to Europe in the early modern period. The first part of the course assesses the push factors,

motivating or forcing individuals and groups to move. The second part looks at the pull factors,

attracting them to various locations on the Continent. Third part will assess their contribution to

their host countries and explore to what extent diasporas remained in touch with their sending

communities.

Module aim

Students completing this module will have an understanding of how and why European-bound

migration occurred in the early modern British Isles. They will appreciate the complexity of

migrant motivation and how this reflected social and economic as well as political and religious

forces. Work with relevant primary sources will sharpen their reading and interpretative skills and

give them an appreciation of both the specific and the universal in the migrant experience.

Basic text book - Murdoch, Alexander, Dr. [electronic resource] British Emigration. Houndmills, Basingst : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 1 online resource (xi, 176 p.) : map.

AssessmentDeadline for submission of essay is Monday, 9 May 2016

In-class presentation 20%

Analysis of primary source (c. 1,000 words) 20%

Essay (c. 3,000 words) on topic approved by module leader 60%Attendance requirements apply. See relevant descriptor at www.maynoothuniversity.ie/courses.




SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerDR MARTIN OTT

Module code HY 287

Credits5

Lecture hours per weekIntensive one week

Module title

Intensive History field trip (IN MUNICH)

MUNICH – A EUROPEAN CAPITAL, 15 – 22 MARCH 2016

Module contentMunich has a long history as the capital of a semi-autonomous Bavarian state since medieval times. On a week-long field trip, we will explore this history and get in contact with a number of academic and research-related institutions.

As the capital of the Bavarian Dukes and Kings, Munich became one of the most illustrious residential cities of Europe and a stronghold of the Catholic Church from the age of the Reformation onwards. There is still an abundance of splendid architecture and important art collections left from these times. But Munich also was the cradle of the Nazi movement in the 1920s with the failed 1923 Beerhall Putsch as their first attempt to obtain power in Germany. After World War II the city developed into a power house of German economy, culture and sports with the 1972 Olympics as a landmark.

Expect costs of app. 500 Euro (excluding meals). A deposit of 200 Euro should be paid by 12 October 2015. For all enquiries contact Dr Martin Ott, Room 53, Rhetoric House, email: [email protected].

Hartmann Schedel, Chronicle of the world (1493): Munich

AssessmentSpecial assignments during the field trip 40%Field trip diary (c. 3000 words) 60%Deadline for submission of the diary is Monday, 9 May 2016Full attendance of the field trip is required. See relevant module descriptor at www.nuim.ie/courses

http://www.nuim.ie/courses

mailto:[email protected]



SECOND SEMESTER

LecturerProfessor Raymond GillespieProfessor Ruairi Ó hUiginn

Module codeNG220

Credits5


Module titleLITERATURE AND LATE MEDIEVAL SOCIETY: THE CASE OF NORTH-WEST IRELAND

Module objectives

By examining literary, political and social developments in north west Ireland from 1450 to 1620 this module will foster an understanding of the linkages between literature and society.

Module content

This module examines the practices of writing in Irish in north-west Ireland between 1450 and 1620. In particular it will focus on the rise of the O'Donnells as the main political and cultural power brokers in the area and the impact that this had on a number of literary genres. Reading a number of saints lives, biography and annalistic works will provide an insight into how literary texts can reflect the society in which they were created and in particular how texts belonging to one genre, such as saints' lives, can express ideas which seem inappropriate for that genre.

Form of assessment

Class test: 25%. Essay (approx 4,000 words): 75%

Essay deadline: Monday, 9 May 2016

Special requirements (e.g. field trips inc. costs, special sessions)None

Please note that NG220 is timetabled by the School of Irish and may clash with core lectures in other subjects.



Second SemesterLecturersDR COLMÁN ETCHINGHAM

Module code SG252

Credits5


Module title

IRELAND ENCOUNTERS SCANDINAVIA: THE VIKING AGE

Module content

The period 795-1169 in Irish history is one in which Ireland's encounter with the Viking-age Scandinavians had far reaching effects on Ireland's history — political, military, economic, social and cultural. This module seeks to look at that encounter from two perspectives. On the one hand the impact of the Vikings on Ireland itself will be outlined. On the other, the Viking experience in Scandinavia, the North Atlantic, Continental Europe and Britain will be explored for the light it sheds on the Vikings in Ireland.

Form of assessment

Continuous assessment: 50%

One-hour end-of-semester examination: 50%

Special requirements (e.g. field trips inc. costs, special sessions)

Please note that SG252 is timetabled by Sean-Ghaeilge and may clash with corelectures in other subjects.

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