BEUR411 - IFE

BEUR411
European Historical Development II: From the Renaissance to Contemporary Europe

ECTS Value: 5 ECTS

Overall Objectives and Outcomes

This module will introduce course participants to the main themes of European history from the fifteenth Century to contemporary times. Course participants will be able to understand the main events and themes that shaped European History in what it is today. This course is a continuation of the Module European Development I but it will not be a prerequisite to follow this module.

By the end of this programme, participants should be able to:

Competences

a. Critically analyse early modern and modern milestone European events and understand their importance in shaping European history;

b. Constructively criticise methodological approaches to historiography and how these lead to shaping the narrative of Early Modern and Modern European history;

c. Comprehend and analyze the cause and effects of a number of European events such as the French Revolution in order to understand the how and why;

d. Sustain arguments with regard to the importance of certain Early Modern and Modern historical events in shaping the European Identity.

Knowledge

a. Demonstrate critical understanding of the importance of key events in European History, mainly the Renaissance, the Reformation/Catholic reformation, the Scientific Revolution, The Enlightenment, The English and French revolution, the 1848 revolutions, the Two World Wars and the Establishment of the Council of Europe and European Union;

b. Critically appreciate the importance of certain events in European history;

c. Critically identify the causes of the key events in European History mentioned in the first point above;

d. Evaluate the role of collective memory in historical development;

e. Identify and interpret the primary and secondary sources.

Skills

a. Identify the appropriate theories relating to historiography;

b. Determine the best form of research approach to carry out a historical study in relation to the Early Modern and Modern periods with special emphasis on Europe;

c. Apply the theories explored and studied in relation to the Early Modern and Modern periods with special emphasis on Europe;

d. Interpret and apply data gathered through historical research methods to carry out a historical research study in relation to the Early Modern and Modern periods with special emphasis on Europe;

e. Reference correctly the appropriate literature used in relation to the Early Modern and Modern periods with special emphasis on Europe;

f. Develop the ability to plan and develop a historical research project/assignment in relation to the Early Modern and Modern periods with special emphasis on Europe.

Mode of Delivery

This module adopts a blended approach to teaching and learning. Information related to the structure and delivery of the module may be accessed through the IfE Portal. For further details, kindly refer to the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy and Procedures found on the Institute for Education’s website.

Assessment Methods

This programme adopts continuous and summative methods of assessment including assignments, online tasks, reflective journals, projects and video presentations. For further details, kindly refer to the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy and Procedures.

Suggested Readings

Core Reading List

1. Judt, T. (2005). Postwar : A history of Europe since 1945. Penguin.
2. Palmer, R., Colton, J., & Kramer, L. (2014). A history of Europe in the modern world (11th ed., International student ed.). McGraw-Hill.
3. Merriman, J. (2010). A history of modern Europe (3rd ed.). W.W. Norton.
4. Blanning, T. (2001). The Oxford illustrated history of modern Europe (3rd ed.]. ed.). Oxford U.P.
5. Dinan, D. (2004). Europe recast: A history of European Union. Lynne Rienner.
6. Lindemann, A. (2013). A history of modern Europe: From 1815 to the present (Concise history of the modern world). Wiley Blackwell.
7. Zophy, J. (2003). A short history of Renaissance and Reformation Europe: Dances over fire and water. (3rd ed.). Prentice-Hall.
8. Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. (2013); Early modern Europe 1450-1789; Second edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
9. Cameron, E. (1999). Early modern Europe: An Oxford history. Oxford U.P.
10. Black, J., & MacRaild, D. (2016). Studying History (Palgrave Study Skills). London: Macmillan Education UK.

Supplementary Reading List

1. Kümin, B. (2017). The European world 1500-1800: An introduction to early modern history. 3rd Edition; Routledge.
2. Sperber, J. (2000). Revolutionary Europe, 1780-1850. (Longman history of modern Europe). Longman.
3. Canfora, L., & Jones, S. (2006). Democracy in Europe a history of an ideology (Making of Europe). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
4. Kallestrup, Louise Nyholm ; Toivo, Raisa Maria. (2017). Contesting Orthodoxy in Medieval and
Early Modern Europe (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
5. Wilson, P. (2010). Europe’s tragedy: A new history of the thirty years’ war. Penguin.
6. Merriman, J. (n.d.). From the Renaissance to the age of Napoleon Vol. 1.

Various articles from online journals will also be suggested to students during the course.