HR103-4-AU-CO:
Hidden Histories: Class, Race and Gender in Britain, c. 1640s-Present
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
Inactive
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
21 February 2022
Requisites for this module
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As Orwell noted, history is written by the winners. He was talking about war between nation states, though the same could be said about the struggle between classes. Approaching the past from the losers` side, this module uncovers some radical ideas and practices that have often been overlooked in accounts of modern British history.
It first goes back to the revolutionary years of the mid-seventeenth century to examine how radicals questioned dominant ideas about democratic rights and property ownership, some even advocating 'communism'. This period also witnessed fundamental questioning of the power imbalance between men and women, in the family and the private sphere as well as in the public.
The focus then shifts to another period of rapid economic and social change that accompanied the growth of industrial capitalism in the nineteenth century. At this time, Chartists embraced the cause of democracy, while Owenite socialists reinvented 'communism' in a new context. Once again, radicals also spotlighted issues of power within the family and between genders.
The final part of the module examines the ways in which these earlier oppositional ideas and practices informed working-class culture and working-class institutions in the 20th century. The extent to which the modern labour movement continued but also attenuated radical understandings of democracy, property ownership and gender relations is discussed.
The module concludes by analysing how what we might call the working-class alternative faced mounting criticism during the second half of the twentieth century, both from those on the socialist and feminist left who sympathised with its broad aims and from hostile groups who desired to consign it to historical oblivion.
• To introduce students to arguments about the relationship between history-writing and power.
• To build confidence in understanding concepts of ‘democracy’, ‘communism’, ‘socialism’ and ‘class’, and how they are used to analyse the past.
• To explore the history of radical ideas and practices in Britain, and how they have been modified and transformed in different contexts.
• To understand some of the ways in which the history of modern Britain has been profoundly shaped by the struggles and cultural creativity of ordinary people.
On completing the module, students will:
1. Have an awareness of key issues concerning the history of modern Britain.
2. Be able to use more critically key concepts in modern British history.
3. To participate in seminar discussion as part of a supportive, inclusive learning environment.
4. Have analysed suitable primary source material in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.
5. Have gained key discipline-specific skills in preparation for the final year research project.
General reading:
To be confirmed.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
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Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Lucy Noakes, email: l.noakes@essex.ac.uk.
Belinda Waterman, Department of History, 01206 872313
Yes
Yes
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No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 30 hours, 29 (96.7%) hours available to students:
1 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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