In ‘World History' students examine the sometimes surprisingly deep historical roots of our current ‘globalized' world. Taking the year 1500 as its approximate starting point, the module focuses on various examples of world-wide encounter and exchange in terms of exploration, trade, commerce, manufacturing, finance, technology, culture, belief and conflict. All these have been of immense importance in influencing and determining the nature and pace of historical change in 'the West' and in other parts of the world. Through a variety of case studies, students encounter a range of historical occurrences that stimulate many questions of relevance to our knowledge and understanding of the world today. How did people of previous centuries perceive the world? How much (and how little) did they know of regions other than their own? How did they learn about other regions, and other peoples? What sort of encounters occurred between peoples from different parts of the world? What world-historical forces shaped events and ideas from 1500 to the twenty-first century? Finally, how might knowledge of all these things influence understanding of our current 'globalized' world?
The module ranges widely in terms of place as well as of time, across the British Isles and Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Caribbean. Through contemporary accounts and historical interpretation, it shows how histories of all these regions contributed to the history of the world, 1500-2000.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Weekly lectures provide background and contextual information. The module proceeds chronologically, from about 1492 to about 1905. It does so in a success of chronological phases, the better to ensure student engagement and understanding. As the module covers time, it explores a variety of themes relating to the ways in which different parts of the world (and different peoples) interacted with each other, sometimes peacefully sometimes not. We look at relations between England and Iran in the early seventeenth century. We study the origins and consequences of the first ‘world war', which occurred not in the twentieth century but between 1757 and 1763. We consider nineteenth century debates about slavery and about industrialization, and also debates then and current about capitalism and globalization. Each week's lecture will have as a focal point a specific person (or group of people), place and event and these will provide the basis for weekly seminar discussion. The module has a strong visual as well as textual emphasis. Students will learn about material aspects of world history from museum and gallery websites. They will post comments and reflections on material culture to a World History blog on Canvas, facilitating group work and written communication skills important to employability. Canvas will also contain additional learning material, and links to web-based resources. In this module students will experience and explore world history in many different ways.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 two-hour lectures | 44 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 one-hour seminars | 22 |
| Guided independent study | Guided independent study | 234 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Summative assessment is through a portfolio of coursework, submitted at the end of the module. This tests students' engagement with module themes and knowledge of material covered in lectures, and discussed in seminars.
There will be a range of formative assessment opportunities during the module, encompassing a range of thematic issues and case studies. Formative assessment and peer-assisted learning will be enabled through the World History blog on Study Space Feedback and feed forward enables students to develop understanding not only of historical matters but also of their own learning experiences, through the medium of world history.
Portfolio ( 70 percent): 2,000 words, consisting of an essay and/or commentary on a world history source or artefact.
Two 500-word blog posts (30 percent)
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate the interconnectedness of histories of various parts of the world | Assessed formatively through weekly seminar exercises and a blog posting; and summatively through blog postings and an end-of-module portfolio |
| Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how individuals, societies and events within and outside Europe have contributed to world history | Assessed formatively through seminar exercises and a blog posting and visits to an external institution; and summatively through blog postings and an end-of-module portfolio |
| Demonstrate understanding of the main factors behind historical change over long periods and across different regions of the world | Assessed formatively through weekly seminar exercises and summatively through end-of- module portfolio |
| Demonstrate understanding of the historical origins of contemporary world affairs | Assessed formatively through weekly seminar exercises and summatively through end-of-module portfolio |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| CWK | Blog post 500 words | 15 |
| CWK | Blog posts 500 words | 15 |
| CWK | 2000 word essay | 70 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module
Bayly, CA (2004). The Birth of the Modern World, 1780-1914. Blackwell.
Darwin, J (2008). After Tamerlane: How Empires Rise and Fall. Penguin.
Bernstein, W (2008). A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World. Atlantic.
Appleby, J (2010). The Relentless Revolution: A History of Capitalism. Norton.
Frieden, JR (2007). Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. Norton.
Jasanoff, M (2006) Edge of Empire: Conquest and Collecting in the East, 1750-1850. Harper.
Mather, J (2009). Pashas: Traders and Travellers in the Islamic World. Yale University Press.
Mokyr, J (2009). The Enlightened Economy: An Economic History of Britain, 1700-1850. Yale University Press.
Pomeranz, K (2000) The Great Divergence: China, Europe and the Making of the Modern World Economy. Princeton University Press.