Module manager: Professor William Gould
Email: W.R.Gould@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
In 1917, the poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote that ‘India’s problem is the problem of the world in miniature... it is many countries packed in one geographical receptacle. It is just the opposite of what Europe truly is'. Today India is considered to be one of the largest and most participatory democracies in human history, but has also been a centre of conflict. This module examines how the ethnic and religious differences, particularly those between 'Hindus' and 'Muslims', were transformed and moulded by colonialism and nationalism in India; asking how far the interpretation of Indian religious, ethnic and caste difference was part of a British struggle to understand and rule such a huge country, and examines Indian responses to the colonial state, from the great revolt of 1857, through Gandhian national protests, to independence and partition in 1947. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The main aims of this module are to explore and understand the major social, political and cultural developments that took place in India during the period of 1857-1947. Most of this context and background will be presented in the weekly lectures, which provide an overview of the political events of the period, and the approaches of historians and social scientists towards those events. The classes will work topic by topic and will be discussion based. They will introduce and familiarise you with some of the key political ideas and texts of the period in India and develop skills in the expression of new historical ideas and arguments, especially in exploring inter-disciplinary approaches to the region. In the source analyses and final essay we will work on clear written expression, and critical engagement with both primary source material and published scholarship.
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Critically assess India’s societies, religious cultures and political structures in the late colonial period.
2. Explore inter-connections between nationalisms and processes of decolonisation in India and other non-European contexts.
3. Examine how national and religious identities have been tackled and discussed by historians of South Asia and Europe.
4.Analyse caste and religion in India, and their inter-connection with political processes.
5. Locate and use critically primary and secondary sources on India in the construction of historical arguments.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
6. Effectively communicate complex ideas.
7. Work independently to produce historical outputs
8. Locate, handle and synthesize large amounts of information.
9. Engage constructively with the ideas of their peers, tutors and the published work of other scholars from a range of humanities and social science disciplines
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 179 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 21 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
For the first assessment, you will receive guidance and formative feedback on practice source analyses, which may be reworked as part of the final submission. For the final assessment, you will have the opportunity to discuss an essay plan with your tutor.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Source analysis | 40 |
| Coursework | Essay | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 08/10/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team