CS101-4-PT-CO:
Modern Revolutions in Science, Politics, and Culture
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Spring Special
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 28 June 2024
0
11 December 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
NONUYYAJ Essex Abroad (Ajou University)
By examining the Enlightenment period, this module provides students with a crucial framework for understanding today`s dominant intellectual currents and social contexts.
This framework proves remarkably useful for students in their second and third year. Indeed, graduating students often rank it among the most useful modules they have taken.
No information available.
No information available.
The Enlightenment (roughly 1650-1800) was a politically and intellectually revolutionary period of history that defined the ideas that continue to shape the way we see ourselves and the world we live in – ideas like democracy, free speech, individualism, scientific evidence, free markets, and human rights.
Built on a spine of lectures delivered by experts from across the Faculties of Humanities and the Social Sciences, this interdisciplinary module covers topics such as slavery and anti-slavery revolts, how colonialism and technological change is reflected in literature of the time, early feminism, the American Revolution, the roots of capitalism, the aftermath of the Scientific Revolution, the origins of modern law and medicine, Rousseau`s critique of social inequality, the French Revolution, and Dutch Still Life paintings as expressions of modern subjectivity. We will draw on artworks, novels, political pamphlets, and speeches, as well as philosophical texts.
This module will be delivered via:
- One 1-hour lecture per week.
- One 1-hour class per week.
-
Kant, I. and Gregor, M.J. (1999) ‘Answer to the Question: “What is Enlightenment?”’, in
Practical philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/practical-philosophy/an-answer-to-the-question-what-is-enlightenment-1784/B371F3835575A98E5FB7D3F156B18DBF.
-
Israel, J.I. (2001)
Radical enlightenment: philosophy and the making of modernity, 1650-1750. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198206088.001.0001.
-
Juana Ines de la Cruz and Trueblood, A.S. (1988) A Sor Juana anthology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
-
Bacon, F. (2006) ‘The New Organon [1620]’, in Early Modern Philosophy. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
-
Winstanley, G. (1983) ‘A New-Year’s gift for the parliament and army’, in C. Hill (ed.)
The law of freedom, and other writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 159–210. Available at:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/winstanley-the-law-of-freedom-and-other-writings/newyears-gift-for-the-parliament-and-army/A314367CE1FFA35F18D1C9A29EBF0B47.
-
-
Locke, J. and Macpherson, C.B. (1980)
Second treatise of government. Indianapolis, Ind: Hackett. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1403597.
-
-
Jonathan Swift, Claude Julien Rawson and Ian Higgins (2005)
Gulliver’s travels. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=55815.
-
-
Jefferson, T., Hardt, M. and Kindervater, G. (2007)
The declaration of independence. London: Verso. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5964862.
-
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) (no date). Available at:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp.
-
Douglass, F.
et al. (1999) ‘“The Meaning of July Four for the Negro” [better known as “The Meaning of July Four for the Slave”], 1852’, in
Frederick Douglass: selected speeches and writings. Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books, pp. 188–206. Available at:
https://essex.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=4188639210007346&institutionId=7346&customerId=7345&VE=true.
-
Wollstonecraft, M. (1999) ‘Chapter IV: Observations on the state of degradation to which woman is reduced by various causes’, in
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman & A Vindication of the Rights of Men. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=ddb56f6b-1050-4132-a579-afb622adfc03%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=363617&db=nlebk.
-
L’Ouverture, T., Aristide, J.-B. and Nesbitt, N. (2008) The Haitian revolution. London: Verso.
-
Rousseau, J.-J. (2009)
Discourse on the origin of inequality. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=330736.
-
Sloane, H. and Birch, T. (1755) ‘An Account of Inoculation by Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. Given to Mr. Ranby, to be Published, Anno 1736. Communicated by Thomas Birch, D. D. Secret. R. S.’,
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 49, pp. 516–520. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstl.1755.0073.
-
Letter XI-On Inoculation. Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de. 1909-14. Letters on the English. The Harvard Classics (no date). Available at:
http://www.bartleby.com/34/2/11.html.
-
Brockden Brown, C. (1799)
Arthur Mervyn: Or, Memoirs of the Year 1793. Available at:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18508.
-
Lord Byron’s speech in the House of Lords against the ‘Frame Work Bill’ [1812] (no date). Available at:
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1812/feb/27/frame-work-bill#S1V0021P0_18120227_HOL_7.
-
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and M. K. Joseph (1969)
Frankenstein: or, The modern Prometheus. [1831 ed.]. London: Oxford U.P. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4648678.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
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
Assessment required in future academic year.
Reassessment
Assessment required in future academic year.
Module supervisor and teaching staff
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 6 hours, 2 (33.3%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
4 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.