History - PGDip

Course Structure

1. [\'Studying Civil War: Russia, Spain, Greece examines three case studies in civil conflict in the 20th century. In analysing a variety of themes from international relations to the dynamics of clan violence, the module introduces students to the practice of comparative history, historical sociology and the analytical study of civil conflict. (This module runs in the afternoon.) Module leader: Dr Erik Landis\', \'American Colossus: US Domestic and Foreign Politics, 1945-2012 explores the rise of the United States from the end of the Second World War, through the Cold War, and up to the present day. By looking at domestic politics, international relations, and economic and military affairs, students will have a keener appreciation of the evolution of the American state in the 20th century as an actor at home and abroad. Module leader: Dr Thomas Robb\', \'Political Violence in Ireland, 1848-1998 examines the history of political violence in Ireland from the 1848 rebellion up to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The role of violence in Irish politics will be explored as well as a range of responses, including state violence and the introduction of emergency legislation. Module leader: Prof. Virginia Crossman\', \'Religion, Doubt and Secularism in Modern Britain and the US examines the complex history of belief and unbelief, faith and reason, during a time often associated with growing secularisation. It encourages students to think critically about the nature of morality in the Victorian period, in particular the spiritual eclecticism of those who sought to reject Christian dogma. Module leader: Prof. David Nash\', "Behaving Badly: Crime, Deviance and Civilization examines comparative themes in the history of law, crime and \'bad behaviour\' from 1500 to the present. Students will be given the opportunity to study the fundamental issues that have pre-occupied historians of crime and the regulation of forms of behaviour society considers unacceptable. Module leader: Dr Cassie Watson", \'The Reformation and the Parish Church considers the impact of the Reformation on the lives of ordinary people. The churches in which they worshipped were remodelled, whilst the traditional Catholic rituals and practices that governed their lives were reformed. In particular the module will examine the impact that the Reformation had upon art, architecture, music and sculpture. Module leader: Prof. Andrew Spicer\', \'Terrorism and the Sacralization of Violence locates contemporary terrorism in its historical context by considering its evolution since the late 19th century, when revolutionary anarchists first pioneered the use of violence against civil society and symbolic political targets. It evaluates a variety of conflicting interpretive models, including the politicisation of religion; the \\x91sacralisation\\x92 of politics by secular ideological movements; and the lone-wolf sense of an individual mission. Module leader: Prof. Roger Griffin\', \'Britain and Europe, 1950-1990 looks at how the subject of \\x91Europe\\x92 has come to dominate post-war British politics, splitting political parties, bringing down governments and Prime Ministers, and dividing opinion more bitterly and deeply than any other subject. This course will attempt to assess why exactly the subject was so divisive, and examine the different views taken about \\x91ever closer union\\x92 since 1950. Module leader: Dr Glen O\\x92Hara\', \'The Social History of Mental Illness, 1700-2000 analyses the reasons behind the growth of mental institutions across the world from the late eighteenth century onwards. The module will equip students with an appreciation of the social, religious and ideological forces that have influenced medical ideas of mental illness, coupled and with an understanding of the varied approaches to the history of \\x91madness\\x92. Module leader: Prof. Waltraud Ernst\', \'Body Politics: Health and Modernity in Britain, 1830-1914 examines the political and cultural dynamics of British public health during the period 1830 to 1914. Students will be given the opportunity to explore how an ostensibly discrete and humanitarian field of governance raised broader questions about the meaning of urban civilisation, the limits of the state, the scope and organisation of expert authority, and the politics of class and gender. Module leader: Dr Tom Crook\', \'Eugenics, Man and Society, 1860-1945 examines comparative themes in the history of eugenics, genetics, biopolitics, anthropology and modernity from 1800 to 1945. Students will be given the opportunity to study the fundamental issues that have pre-occupied historians of biology, science and modernity since the 1800s and combine these with specific case studies from a wide range of European countries. Module leader: Dr Marius Turda\', \'Science, Magic and Religion introduces students to history-of-science based theories on the social construction of knowledge and alerts them to the boundary issues involved in the construction of science, magic and religion. The second part of the course focuses on methodological issues, in particular primary source selection and interpretation. Module leader: Prof. Waltraud Ernst\', \'Drug Makers and Drug Takers, Past and Present investigates how drugs have come to occupy such an important place in modern society. In particular, it examines their evolution, not only in terms of scientific and medical progress, but also in terms of a complex, changing inter-relationship between consumers, producers, the medical profession and the state. Module leader: Dr Viviane Quirke\', \'Ethics and Ideas: From the Hippocratic Oath to Informed Consent examines various comparative themes in the history of medical ethics, from Hippocrates to the present day. In particular, students will be given the opportunity to study the fundamental issues that have pre-occupied historians of medical malpractice and clinical research. Module leader: Prof. Paul Weindling\', \'The Hospital in History provides a long-term analysis of the origins and transformations of the hospital in its social context. The module covers changing organisational forms, funding, medical specialisation, therapeutic innovations, patients, public perceptions, and the broader politics of hospital development within western and non-European contexts. Module leader: Prof. Waltraud Ernst\', \'History That Was Not: Counterfactuals and Alternate History examines the uses and abuses of counterfactual constructions in historiography and in popular culture, including novels, games, movies and design. It focuses on the underlying problems of historiographical conception - especially questions of historical causality and so-called \\x91laws\\x92 of history - and the interrelations between historiography, philosophy, literature and art. Module leader: Dr Johannes Dilinger\', \'The History of Emotions in Britain c. 1700-2000 offers students the opportunity to investigate the emerging field of the history of emotions. In particular, the module traces the history of social and cultural norms and how they have shaped \\x96 and continue to shape - what individuals, communities and states can feel (and show) in a given situation towards certain people or things. (This module runs in the afternoon.) Module leader: Prof Joanne Bailey\', \'A History of the British Population, 1580-1911 examines the population history of Britain from the start of church recording of baptisms, marriages and burials, through to the 1911 census. It covers themes such as the fertility transition, causes of death and mortality crises, and the way that population changes map onto social trends like family limitation strategies, the availability or shortage of resources, and the impact of war. (This module runs in the afternoon.) Module leader: Dr Alysa Levene\']