| Unit name | The Making of Contemporary Britain (1918-2008) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST20114 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ryan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Units in our Historical Period optional panel allow you to continue to experience the rich chronological diversity on offer at Bristol. You may opt to consolidate your developing period specialism; in which case these units will challenge you to zoom out and adopt a broader focus. Alternatively, you may decide to push yourselves outside of your comfort zones; in which case these units will equip you with contrasts and comparisons that enable originality and independence. Either way, these units are designed to ensure that no student’s field of vision becomes too narrow, and to allow all students to enjoy the rich diversity of the past.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Our Historical Period optional units ensure that the chronological diversity that you encountered in the first year of study is not lost in the second, as you begin to narrow your focus and find your specialism. Together with our Global History units and History in Public units, this panel of options ensures that students in Year 2 have the opportunity to experience diverse chronological, geographical, and thematic histories.
An overview of content
This unit aims to introduce students to the uneven scope, scale, and pace of change in contemporary Britain. In particular students will interrogate the ways in which different narratives of continuity and change emerged in and about the twentieth century in Britain, and the purposes they have served. By exploring different areas of life – from politics, voting and protesting, to working, shopping, belief and love – students will engage with alternative ways of understanding this period in British history. Has the twentieth century really witnessed the ‘Death of Christian Britain’? Did the nation spiral into long-term economic decline after the heyday of the Victorian industrialisation? Was there a sexual revolution in the 1960s? And did the 1980s see the demise social democracy under the tutelage of Margaret Thatcher? This unit will enable students to tackle big historiographical debates in the field and to develop a more complex understanding of the political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and social upheaval of the twentieth century, all of which shape the world we live in today.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Historical Period optional units will enhance your capacity to build historical arguments with primary sources, properly located within appropriate theories, concepts, methods, and historiographies. They will develop your skills and confidence working with longer chronologies and delivering your ideas in written and verbal form.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted):
5-minute Presentation (0%, Required for Credit) [ILO 5].
This will help you to get tutor and peer feedback on your ideas in advance of your summative essay, while building your confidence with oral communication.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HIST20114).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
