Unit information: Northern Ireland during the 'Troubles', 1965-1998 (Level I Lecture Response) in 2009/10

Unit name	Northern Ireland during the 'Troubles', 1965-1998 (Level I Lecture Response)
Unit code	HIST25019
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Jim MacPherson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of History (Historical Studies)
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland stand out as the most bloody and violent period in modern British history. This unit examines the challenge to the Unionist government in Northern Ireland during the 1960s and how this was rapidly transformed into political violence that brought long-standing enmities into the open. The second half of the course will assess the emergence of a peace process during the 1980s and address the implications of the Belfast Agreement for politics in the province. Theories of ethnic conflict and political violence will be considered, placing the events of the Troubles in an interdisciplinary and comparative context, enabling students to contrast the politics of Northern Ireland with recent ethnic conflicts. Students will be asked to address the role of ethnic and religious identities in modern British politics, the role of the British state in Northern Ireland, and the sustainability of the peace process.

Teaching Information

10 x 2 hour interactive lectures.

Assessment Information

1 x 3000 word essay (50%) and 1 x 2 hour exam (50%)

Reading and References

• Richard English, Armed Struggle. The History of the IRA (2003).

• Thomas Hennessey, Northern Ireland: The Origins of the Troubles (2005).

• Marc Mulholland, The Longest War: Northern Irelands Troubled History (2002).

• Jon Tonge, Northern Ireland (2006).