Module manager: Dr Anne-Sophie Jung
Email: A.S.Jung@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is approved as a discovery module
By engaging with global histories and the ‘long nineteenth century', the module will trace how the world became increasingly integrated and connected—economically, politically, militarily, and socially—and question the meanings of the concept of modernity. The module elaborates on three 'sites of modernity': social (Enlightenment), economic (the Industrial Revolution), and political (the French Revolution). Each of these events is paired with a global history perspective which challenges the dominant historiography of these events. In the second half of the module, it will examine the impact of colonialism on land, health, and the climate catastrophe, and investigate processes of resistance to colonialism, and the emergence of neo-colonialism. Persistent features of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade will be examined that will include links between racism and colonialism, the role of the state in development, and the patterns of resource and surplus extraction from the South in the making and reproduction of the modern world.
This module is based on the premise that colonialism, slavery and the expansion of capitalism had profound effects on the formation of the modern world and that this historical knowledge is necessary for an understanding of its contemporary condition. Its objective is to examine the political, economic and socio-cultural dynamics of colonialism and to explore the role that colonialism in the Americas, Africa and Asia played in the making of the modern world. A particular link will be made between the expansion of colonialism, the dynamics of the transatlantic slave trade and the development of industrialisation in Europe. The module also pays attention to the responses to colonialism from peoples in the global south, explores the continuing legacies of colonialism and scrutinises some of the recent efforts to address the North-South gap (e.g. via Fair Trade or Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives). You will explore all of these topics through lectures, seminars, discussions, and readings.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrate a familiarity with the basic concepts, events and institutions of the modern world and their origins and development, and some of the main theoretical approaches to its study. 1. Demonstrate a familiarity with the basic concepts, events and institutions of the modern world and their origins and development, and some of the main theoretical approaches to its study.
2. Demonstrate awareness of some of the main debates within the study of the global North and South, colonialism, and the development of capitalism.
3. Rehearse basic arguments and evaluations of the main debates within the study of the development of the modern world.
Skills Learning Outcomes
1. Retrieve, organise, and produce basic summaries of information and/or data.
2. Assemble basic arguments and be able to evaluate the arguments of others.
3. Work and discuss with others in a collaborative manner.
4. Use digital technologies to retrieve data and information and to communicate this information to others.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 170 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 30 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Seminar discussions are centred around student participation, ensuring students have grasped the week’s issues and are able to draw connections between the topics of the different weeks. Seminars also provide an opportunity for students to seek clarification on any issues relating to the module and ask questions. Seminars are a space for students to practice the presentation of ideas and arguments to their fellow students and feed back to class the literature they have covered.
Students have the opportunity to give an individual or group presentation during the seminars
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Coursework | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Students will also have the opportunity to submit a shorter 1500 word formative version of the essay (non assessed)
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 9/3/2024
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team