French at Queen’s reflects the dynamism and cultural diversity of the French-speaking world, focusing on the language, culture and society of metropolitan France, and opening up perspectives on a range of global cultures. All students spend a period of residence in a francophone country. Students can begin their studies in French as a Beginner.
The undergraduate History programme offers students a wide choice, including ancient, medieval, early modern and modern history; students can explore aspects of gender, social and cultural history, colonial history, politics, religious and economic change.
French at Queen’s was 7th in UK for French overall and 2nd for Research in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020. 91% of French students were satisfied in 2019.
French and History highlights
Global Opportunities
After stage 2, you will spend a period of residence (normally 8 months or more) in a French-speaking country. Students will have the possibility of acquiring professional experience by teaching in a school, undertaking a work placement, or doing voluntary work. They may also elect to study at a French university.
The History programme offers students opportunities to travel and study at universities in Europe and North America. Short-term (two weeks) and longer-term (up to one academic year) exchanges are on offer.
Examples include:
Aarhus Universitet (Denmark)
College of Charleston (South Carolina, USA)
Institut d’Etudes Politques de Bordeaux (France)
University of Oslo (Norway)
Universiteit Utrecht (Netherlands)
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee, USA)
Field trips are also offered in particular years or as part of certain modules.
Students in Languages at Queen’s have specialised classes to prepare them for the Year Abroad and members of our staff act as Year Abroad Officers.
Queen's University Belfast is committed to providing a range of international opportunities to its students during their degree programme. Details of this provision are currently being finalised and will be available from the University website once confirmed.
Industry Links
Several modules include links with local collaborative partners, which provide students with opportunities to network with experts in the field or to gain experience of particular industries prior to graduation.
Internships have also been developed to allow students the opportunity to carry out work experience in history-related fields.
World Class Facilities
Queen’s has an excellent library with an outstanding range of resources in French and Francophone cultures and in History. Students can access digitised primary sources or can utilise material housed in the Special Collections or University Archive. The Language Centre has state-of-the-art facilities for language learning, and the IT provision more generally is excellent.
Internationally Renowned Experts
French and History at Queen’s are taught by world-leading experts, who are conducting cutting edge research in their respective fields. Research in Languages at Queen’s was ranked 3rd in the UK in the most recent Research Assessment (REF 2014). History at Queen’s has been placed in the QS World University Rankings top 150 History departments in the world for 2016. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) confirmed that History at Queen’s is producing world-leading or internationally excellent research, placing Queen’s in the top 10 of UK history departments.
Student Experience
The National Student Survey results show consistent student satisfaction with the French and History programme, and with the university experience more generally.
Further Study Opportunities
Students can progress to our MRes or MA programmes, which offer an ideal foundation for doctoral research. Assignments can be tailored to a student’s particular interests and will involve a combination of guided study and independent research. The optional Public History Internship module provides students with workplace experience in local museums and heritage sites, television and radio production companies, archives and libraries, or other relevant locations.
Global Opportunities
Students taking a BA in French and History have genuine opportunities for professional training in a global context. They undertake an extended period of residence abroad (typically 8 months), normally working as an assistant in a school or undertaking a paid work placement in a French-speaking country (options include France, but also for example Canada, Martinique and Réunion). Students can also elect to study at a French-speaking university. In addition to the benefits for oral competence, the residence provides a unique opportunity for immersion in French and francophone culture. Moreover, the Year Abroad is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity. This feature of our degree programme gives students the opportunity for personal development, and further develops communication and language skills and intercultural awareness. The challenges of living abroad come to be a unique (and unforgettable) stage in their own personal development.
Internationally Renowned Experts
Professor Janice Carruthers is an internationally renowned expert on linguistics. She is currently the Leadership Fellow in Modern Languages with the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Student Testimonials
“I was delighted to be awarded the Martin Lynn Memorial Prize for first year History at Queen’s. The course has enabled me explore and develop many new areas of history and I look forward to continuing my studies.”
Mark Jose Sandy, Cambridgeshire, England
2nd Year, BA Single Honours History
In stage 1 students undertake 3 core modules in French and History, which introduce key concepts. They will also develop critical and writing skills necessary in order to make the transition to university level study. Up to 3 further modules are available from a range of additional topics, allowing students to begin to develop their interests in both subjects.
Stage 2
In stage 2, students undertake one core French module, and can select up to 5 modules from a range of topics within French and History.
Stage 3
Placement Year - students spend up to 8 months in a French-speaking country, undertaking a work or volunteer placement. Students will hone their language skills as well as gaining valuable work experience..
Stage 4
In Stage 4 students take one core French module, and select a further 5 from a range of topics that are rooted in staff research expertise. They may also opt to undertake a dissertation. Students can also elect to take a work based learning module.
French Dr Moran is the Subject Lead for French, and teaches French language and modern French culture.
Contact Teaching Hours
Small Group Teaching/Personal Tutorial
1 (hours maximum) hour of tutorials (or later, project supervision) each week
Large Group Teaching
3 (hours maximum) hours of lectures
Personal Study
24 (hours maximum) 22–24 hours studying and revising in your own time each week, including some guided study using handouts, online activities, etc
Medium Group Teaching
6 (hours maximum) hours of practical classes, workshops or seminars each week
Learning and Teaching
At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable our students to achieve their full academic potential.
On the BA in French and History we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners.
Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:
E-Learning technologies
A wide range of information associated with modules is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. Typically, lecture aids are provided through QOL for each module along with other support material. Much of the recommended reading is available through the same environment. Almost all coursework is submitted and returned, with marks and feedback, electronically.
Language enrichment classes
Students will have opportunities to develop oral skills and develop their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in real-life, practical contexts. All these classes are taught in very small groups (typically 12-20 students). Students attend two language enrichment classes per week as part of the core language module. They also attend a one-hour oral class (typically 8-12 students), delivered by a native speaker.
Lectures
These introduce you to basic information about new topics as a starting point for your own further private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in larger groups of 30-40 students).
Peer mentors
Trained student Peer Mentors provide new undergraduates with advice and guidance from a student perspective
Personal Tutor
Students are allocated a Personal Tutor who meets with them on several occasions during the year to support their academic development. This gives students one identified contact with whom to discuss any difficulties they might encounter and who can answer any queries they might have.
Self-directed study
This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback and assignment research and preparation work is carried out. Students can also form reading or writing groups with peers as part of self-directed study.
Seminars/tutorials
These have an important place in the French and History programme, and are carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students). They provide significant opportunity for you to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions and to assess your own progress and understanding with the support of your classmates. You will also be expected to make presentations and other contributions to these groups. Peer learning is an important aspect of the French and History degree and opportunities for peer learning are provided by small-group seminars and tutorials. Students are encouraged to debate ideas with peers, to participate in group activities and source analysis, and to learn from each other in a collegial environment. All of our language teaching and, where appropriate, other modules, are delivered through the medium of French in small-group situations.
Year Abroad
Students taking a BA in French and History undertake an extended period of residence abroad (typically 8 months), normally working as an assistant in a French school or in a paid work placement. In addition to the benefits for oral competence in French, the residence provides a unique opportunity for immersion in French and francophone culture, well as invaluable employment experience. The Year Abroad is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity during which students can study at a university, work as an English Language Teacher, undertake a paid work placement, etc. This feature of our degree programme gives students the opportunity for personal development, gives them a job placement, further develops communication and language skills and intercultural awareness. The challenges of living abroad come to be a unique (and unforgettable) stage in their own personal development.
Students in Languages at Queen’s have specialised classes to prepare them for the Year Abroad and members of our staff act as Year Abroad Officers.
Queen's University Belfast is committed to providing a range of international opportunities to its students during their degree programme. Details of this provision are currently being finalised and will be available from the University website once confirmed.
Assessment
Details of assessments associated with this course are outlined below:
A variety of assessment methods is used, including written examination, coursework essays submitted during or at the end of the semester, group projects, oral presentations by individual students or collaborative groups, video-logs, discussion forums, tutorial activities, and dissertations. All assessment, apart from oral exams, is marked and returned anonymously
Feedback
As students progress through the course they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module convenors, teaching assistants, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:
Formal written comments and marks relating to work that students, as individuals or as part of a group, have submitted. This is generally provided online, ensuring that students have easy access to feedback across all modules and years.
General comments or question and answer opportunities during or at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial
Immediate, on-the-spot feedback from your teacher and peers during small group classes, tutorials, language and oral classes
Students also receive immediate feedback through the use of quizzes and digital survey exercises
Individual consultations addressing specific queries with lecturers during designated consultation hours or with advisors of studies or personal tutors
Online or emailed comment to specific queries.
Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which students can review in their own time.
Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.
Once students have reviewed their feedback, they are encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of their work
Facilities
Queen’s has an excellent library with an outstanding range of resources in French and Francophone cultures and in History. The Language Centre has state-of-the-art facilities for language learning, and the IT provision more generally is excellent.
What our academics say
"I passionately believe in education, culture and exchange. Higher education has a transformative impact on people and on society, and studying modern languages and cultures makes your world safer, richer and more exciting."
Dr Dominique Jeannerod, Lecturer in French
The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.
This modules aims to provide students with little or no previous knowledge of French with the grammatical, written, and spoken language skills necessary go further in the study of French. It will also equip them with professional and employability skills complimentary to their studies. It consists of:
1. Language Seminars (3 hours per week)
Seminars will equip students with the knowledge and understanding of grammatical constructions (both basic and more complex) and syntax required to use the French language independently in written and spoken form. Language skills are practiced in a range of activities: grammar exercises, reading, spoken and listening comprehension, translation, expressive and descriptive writing. All major areas of grammar will be encountered, laying the foundations for future study of the language and its nuances.
Seminars also introduce students to language in context. Students are exposed to new vocabulary, expressions and nuances of use through reading, translation and writing exercises based on sources from the Francophone world.
2. Conversation Class (1hr per week)
Led by a native speaker, this class develops students’ listening and speaking skills in French. The content from seminars is deployed in a range of practical scenarios likely to be experienced in French -speaking countries.
Learning Outcomes
This modules aims to provide students with little or no previous knowledge of French with the grammatical, written, and spoken language skills necessary go further in the study of French. It will also equip them with professional and employability skills complimentary to their studies. It consists of:
1. Language Seminars (3 hours per week)
Seminars will equip students with the knowledge and understanding of grammatical constructions (both basic and more complex) and syntax required to use the French language independently in written and spoken form. Language skills are practiced in a range of activities: grammar exercises, reading, spoken and listening comprehension, translation, expressive and descriptive writing. All major areas of grammar will be encountered, laying the foundations for future study of the language and its nuances.
Seminars also introduce students to language in context. Students are exposed to new vocabulary, expressions and nuances of use through reading, translation and writing exercises based on sources from the Francophone world.
2. Conversation Class (1hr per week)
Led by a native speaker, this class develops students’ listening and speaking skills in French. The content from seminars is deployed in a range of practical scenarios likely to be experienced in French -speaking countries.
Skills
On successful completion of the modules students should have developed the following range of skills: A comprehensive dexterity using French grammar; Translation skills; text analysis; essay writing; lexicographical skills; report writing skills; IT skills; presentation skills; spoken language skills.
This module allows students to study a closely-defined area of history. They will choose from a range of courses offered by History staff and will study one topic in detail. Each course is designed as a significant area of study in its own right, and as a means of developing in depth some of the issues of historiography and method that students will encounter over their course of studies in History at Queen's. Particular emphasis is placed on essay writing at university level.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be aware of the range of approaches that have been used to study the past. They should be able to demonstrate knowledge of a particular historical case study and how it has been debated amongst historians. They should also be aware of the links between historical research and methodological/theoretical frameworks.
Skills
Ability to think critically, reason logically, and evaluate evidence; develop communication skills, both written and oral; an ability to work independently; the ability to use and interpret a range of sources.
This module aims to consolidate and develop the students existing written and oral language skills and knowledge of French and Francophone culture, equip them with professional and employability skills and prepare them to go further in the study of French. It consists of four elements designed to provide a comprehensive consolidation of French language competence:
1. Language Seminar (1hr per week)
Seminar aims to develop students ability to understand, translate and compose French language materials in a range of forms: text, image, audio-visual. Language will be engaged in context, guided by themes such as University life, Culture and Identity and Culture and Communication. Linguistic competence will be developed through a range of methods that may include: group discussion, comprehension, translation, responsive and essay writing.
2. Grammar Workshop (1hr per week)
Workshop designed to consolidate and enrich students' knowledge and understanding of French grammar and syntax. All major areas of grammar will be encountered, laying the foundations for future study of the language and its nuances. It focuses particularly on developing competence in the key area of translation into French.
3. Professional skills (1hr per week)
The class focuses on language skills for special purposes and contains two strands: Language for Business and Language for Law. Both provide linguistic and socio-cultural knowledge important to work-related situations in different fields.
4. Conversation class (1hr per week)
Conversation class is led by a native speaker of French and compliments the content of the Language hour. Students will meet in small groups to discuss, debate and present on the main themes of the course.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the modules students should:
1. Be able to read French texts in a variety of forms and demonstrate a sensitivity to their detail and nuance in speech, writing and when translating.
2. Be able to produce French texts appropriate to different requirements and registers.
3. Be able to investigate, structure and present a complex argument in longer pieces of written work.
4. Be able to communicate using more sophisticated grammatical and syntactical constructions with a good level of accuracy (without basic errors).
Skills
On successful completion of the modules students should have developed the following range of skills: comprehensive dexterity using French grammar; translation skills; text analysis; comprehension; essay writing; lexicographical skills; report writing skills; IT skills; presentation skills; spoken language skills
This module allows students the chance to enrich their understanding of historical methods, theories and themes via a closely defined case study. Students will choose from a range of course offered by History staff and will study one topic in detail. Each course is designed as a significant area of study in its own right, and as a means of developing in depth some of the issues of historiography and method that students will encounter over their course of studies in History at Queen's.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be aware of the range of approaches that have been used to study the past. They should be able to demonstrate knowledge of a particular historical case study and how it has been debated amongst historians. They should also be aware of the links between historical research and methodological/theoretical frameworks.
Skills
Ability to think critically, reason logically, and evaluate evidence; develop communication skills, both written and oral; an ability to work independently; the ability to use and interpret a range of sources.
The aim of the module is to introduce level 1 students to the concept and the scholarly debates that surround the term revolution. It does so by examining four examples of revolutions, which may include the Consumer Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Revolution of the 1960s. By doing so, it will raise broader questions about what causes historical change, the interplay between long-term trends and short-term turning points, and the role of individuals. The module will also introduce students to the importance of small group teaching at university and the importance of individual contribution to tutorials. This will be done through an individual presentation, a structured response to presentations from other students, and a short student reflection on the theory and practice of small-group teaching.
Learning Outcomes
An understanding of the concept and the scholarly debates that surround the term revolution; An ability to engage with the most important historiographical debates relating to the subject-matter of the module; Effective presentation and oral communication skills; The ability to contribute effectively and courteously to class debates and discussions; An ability to write an informed analysis of historical problems discussed in the module; Enhanced ability to think critically, reason logically, and evaluate evidence; An ability to reflect on learning experience.
The module engages in a close examination of three case studies: these may include The Fall of Rome, the Crusades, European colonialism and decolonisation, the Partition of India, and Genocide in Rwanda. Each has proven controversial not just because of the historical incidents themselves, but also the variety of historical interpretations that have been placed on them and the way these events are remembered.
Each case study provides an opportunity to discuss questions about the nature of historical truth, the method of writing history, and the contemporary importance of history. It challenges preconceptions about what “facts” are, and stimulates awareness of the diverse ways in which the past can be analysed. While each part of the module relates to a distinctive geographical region, the three case studies share common features in that their historical significance reverberates in the contemporary world and fashions the identities of nations and communities even today. The different sections thus complement each other to demonstrate the ways in which the past continues to shape the present and the role that history can play in either perpetuating conflict or conversely in promoting intercultural understanding.
Students are thus encouraged to compare the different historical case studies rather than study each discretely as they raise similar fundamental questions about how history is understood and practiced, and how events unfold, are written about, and eventually remembered.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be aware of a range of theoretical and methodological approaches that have been used to study the past. They should be able to demonstrate knowledge of case studies in a number of historical areas and, in doing so, be aware of the important links between empirical historical research and methodological/theoretical frameworks. They will be aware that different theoretical, methodological or ideological approaches can and do produce competing conclusions. They will become familiar with historical writing in a range of forms that take them beyond the textbook (articles, monographs, edited collection and - where appropriate - approved websites). They will also be introduced to the ways history is represented in other media, including cinema and literature. They will be introduced to different methods of disseminating history to scholars and the wider public, both written and audio-visual, and will produce their own public history output, as part of the assessment.
By the end of the module, they will have gained an awareness of the debates pertaining to the ways that these difficult histories should be taught, or represented in museums. In this respect, students will gain an awareness of how these events are represented or re/presented to the public. They will further gain understanding as to how narratives pertaining to these episodes continue in the contemporary world to shape how nations, “tribes”, religious communities define themselves in relation to “others”.
Skills
Students should develop skills in literacy; oral communication; the organisation of logical arguments; basic bibliographic research; effective presentation of written work.
Beyond the Hexagon: French language, politics and culture in a global frame
Overview
This module will introduce students to key areas of contextual studies in French, ie. literature, culture, the visual arts and linguistics. There will be two 'strands' within the module, and across the two stands, students will be introduced to all four areas. The core material will include both French and francophone texts, film, images and data. Each strand will form a coherent whole in terms of both teaching and assessment.
Learning Outcomes
Students will acquire an introductory knowledge of key fields in French Studies, notably literature, culture, the visual arts and linguistics. They will acquire key skills in how to approach these fields in preparation for optional modules in Levels 2 and 3. They will further acquire skills in time management, written and oral communication, and skills in marshalling complex information and constructing an argument.
Skills
Skills in how to approach and analyse texts, images and data for future work in literature, the visual arts, linguistics; skills in oral and written communication; skills in marshalling large amounts of data and structuring an argument; skills in time management.
This module will introduce students to key areas of contextual studies in French, i.e. literature, culture, the visual arts and linguistics. There will be two 'strands' within the module, and across the two strands, students will be introduced to all four areas. The core material will include both French and francophone texts, film, images and data. Each strand will form a coherent whole in terms of both teaching and assessment.
Learning Outcomes
Students will acquire an introductory knowledge of key fields in French Studies, notably literature, culture, the visual arts and linguistics. They will acquire key skills in how to approach these fields in preparation for optional modules in Levels 2 and 3. They will further acquire skills in time management, written and oral communication, and skills in marshalling complex information and constructing an argument.
Skills
Skills in how to approach and analyse texts, images and data for future work in literature, the visual arts, linguistics; skills in oral and written communication; skills in marshalling large amounts of data and structuring an argument; skills in time management.
A World on the Move:Historical and Anthropological Approaches to Globalization
Overview
This modules provides an anthropological introduction to the study of globalisation, using comparative case studies from the contemporary and the historical record, and outlining links with perspectives in the field of history. Among the issues discussed are: global and local linkages in a world of economic, cultural and political connectivity; cultural convergence and the expression of cultural difference; migration, refugees, trafficked people, tourism; diasporas, the idea of home and national borders; transnational family networks in the contemporary world; global and local regimes of power and resistance.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, student should be aware of the complex ways in which globalising forces have influenced people's everyday experiences in different socio-cultural settings and changing historical contexts.
Skills
Students should develop skills in literacy; oral communication; the organisation of logical arguments; effective presentation of written work; and teamwork.
A systematic introduction to ways in which history is used outside the university campus, including in museums and exhibitions, film, memorials and political discussion. The course will involve visits to local museums and students will get a chance to work together to pitch a new public history project. Previous projects have included public exhibitions, new museums or digital apps. The module focuses on the history of race, ethnicity, slavery, colonialism and anti-colonialism and their representations in pubic history.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the module should • Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of academic history within society; • Be able to present historical information systematically and in accordance with normal
academic practice; • Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of effective group work • Have identified a dissertation topic and be able to demonstrate an ability to place it in its broad historiographical context.
Skills
Working in groups; oral communication skills, public history theory.
Course contents: Building on skills acquired at Level 1, this module aims to consolidate productive (writing and speaking) and receptive (reading and listening) skills in French language. Key components are: comprehension, translation into English and into French, résumé, grammar, CV preparation. The oral French component includes presentations and preparation for job interviews. Languages for special purposes strands equip students in law or business with skills for legal and professional contexts.
This module will contain the following elements:
1.Written language (2 hrs per week)
This component will focus on enhancing ability in written French through engagement with a range of journalistic and literary written texts at appropriate level. A variety of topics will be covered, dealing with current themes in society and topical issues. Written language tasks include translation (from and into French), résumé, comprehension and grammar exercises.
2.Oral language (1 hr per week)
This component will focus on enhancing ability in oral French. A variety of topics and themes are covered, which aim to develop knowledge of issues in present-day France, prepare students for the year abroad and for job interviews in the target language. Stimulus materials from a range of media (textual, visual, audio, video) are used.
3.Contextual Study (filière; 1 hr per week)
This component will raise awareness of cultural and linguistic issues in French and allow students to deepen their perspective of the field, as well as preparing students for a residence in a French-speaking country.
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of the modules students should:
1) be able to demonstrate fluency, accuracy and spontaneity in spoken and written French, with a broad range of vocabulary and expression, so as to be able to discuss a variety of complex issues;
2) be able to read wide variety of French texts and identify important information and ideas within them;
3) be able to translate a range of texts into and from French;
4) have developed a detailed critical understanding of representative textual and other material;
5) be able to engage in complex problem-solving exercises.
Skills
On successful completion of the modules students should have developed the following range of skills:
Skills in written and oral expression; critical awareness and problem-solving; close textual analysis; translation; comprehension; presentation; IT skills; employability skills, such as interview technique and cv preparation.
This module introduces students to key concepts and topics in French sociolinguistics. It explores language variation and change in French along a number of social dimensions, including the age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status of the speaker. It will also look at the effect of situational variables such as style, register, medium and context on language use. The module will examine linguistic data on variation in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, and we will also consider some key theoretical and methodological issues which arise in the study of sociolinguistics.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, students will:
• be able to identify and explain the main dimensions of sociolinguistic variation and the ways in which these affect language use;
• be able to identify and explain the main dimensions of situational variation and the ways in which these affect language use;
• be able to assess the significance of linguistic data relating to areas of variation ;
• be able to critically assess some theoretical and methodological issues concerned with the study of sociolinguistics;
• have an understanding of some topics of language variation in French in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary;
• develop the ability to marshal large amounts of information and to construct a detailed argument;
• develop transferable skills in critical thinking, approaching the analysis of data, written and oral expression, group work, and presentation.
Skills
Critical thinking; approaching the analysis of data; written and oral expression skills; group work; presentation
Northern Ireland’s peace process, the legacy of conflict and enduring divisions present a range of ongoing challenges for politics and society. Drawing on expertise from across the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics – combined with that of relevant practitioners, where possible – this interdisciplinary, team-taught module will examine a range of thematic challenges with respect to conflict, conflict transformation, peacebuilding, community relations, public representations of the past, and democratic governance. Rooted in the case of Northern Ireland, the module will also routinely consider broader comparisons with other cases and possible generalisation to other cases. It will be structured into three main parts. First, it will critically engage with Northern Ireland’s past. What were the underlying sources of division, and what can we learn about the complexities and nuances of identity over time? Second, it will explore how the past continues to interact with contemporary Northern Ireland. How is this past represented and understood in today’s public history landscape? Is it possible for Northern Ireland’s contested past to be publicly represented in ways that promote mutual understanding? Can Northern Ireland now be characterised as a ‘post-conflict’ region? Finally, the module will look ahead. Does the current political settlement represent a sustainable form of governance for the region? What do internal developments, such as demographic change, and external challenges, such as climate change, mean for Northern Ireland’s future? By critically engaging with these interrelated themes through relevant disciplinary perspectives, this module ultimately seeks to better understand contemporary Northern Ireland, the history that has shaped it, and the future directions that are possible.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module the successful student should be able to demonstrate in assessed essays, coursework and tutorial contributions:
- A familiarity with a range of topical issues and debates in Northern Ireland, including their historical roots, their contemporary political significance, and their relevance for the region’s future;
- An understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict and the peace process, including the factors that contributed to both;
- A critical appreciation of the challenges associated with conflict transformation, peacebuilding, community relations, public representations of the past, and democratic governance in a divided society from a variety of disciplinary perspectives in the humanities and social sciences;
- Awareness of the role that arts, culture, heritage and public engagement with the past can play in reducing political and social divisions;
- A heightened sense of the complexity of identity, politics and place in Northern Ireland.
Skills
Intellectual skills
• Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge; manage such information in an independent manner;
• Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments;
• Critical & Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field.
Professional and career development skills
• Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing;
• Teamwork: ability to work with others in a team, negotiate conflicts and recognize different ways of learning;
• Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment;
• Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon ones own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development;
• Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance .
Technical and practical skills
• Information Technology: demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT.
Organizational skills
• Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines;
• Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information;
• Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear argument; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way;
• Enterprising thinking: Demonstrate ability to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, to display originality of thought and argument and the ability to clearly support arguments in innovative ways.
Alexander The Great and the Creation of the Hellenistic World
Overview
An analytical survey of ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern history from the conquest of the whole of Balkan Greece by Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, to the emergence of successor kingdoms within Alexander’s conquered territories after his death in 323 BC. After an introduction on sources and methodology, the course proceeds chronologically. Topics receiving special emphasis include: the rise, and the ultimate triumph, of Macedon over the Greek city-states; Alexander’s war against Persia and subsequent conquests; the fragmentation of Alexander’s empire after his death; and events in Sicily and the West (including the expansion of Rome in Italy).
Learning Outcomes
To apply objective historical methodology to a period of alleged decline in Greek history.
Skills
Skills of analysis and evaluation, in particular the organization and interpretation of widely scattered and fragmentary source material.
Nationalism has been a key factor in African history since the late 19th Century. How has it emerged, under what forms, how has it evolved, when and how did it become a mass ideology, and what happened to it after the independence of African states in the second half of the 20th Century? This module offers a critical look at these themes, focusing on ideas, cultures and the politics of nationalism and liberation. The module considers different theories and articulate their discussion to a consideration of diverse case studies, e.g. Ghana, Congo, Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the module should
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the history of Africa in the late 19th and 20th centuries;
• Be able to develop critical arguments about nationalism, liberation and the non-Western world;
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of essay writing, archival work, and oral presentation.
Skills
Critical writing; archival research; oral presentation.
Archival research will be kept to a minimum, in an archive in Belfast or online. The oral presentation will be a presentation of archival material to be used for the second essay.
Algeria and France: Trauma, Forgetting, Re-Membering
Overview
Algeria was a prized French colony between 1830 and 1962. Its bloody liberation struggle from France was marked by atrocities on both sides. France’s role in such practices as torture, the enforced disappearance of Algerian nationalists, and most shockingly, in the police massacre of dozens of peaceful Algerian protesters, who were thrown into the Seine in October 1962, was for many years repressed and denied. The legacy of this conflict continues to determine relations between France and North Africa, has had a profound influence on politics and culture in contemporary France, and indeed impacts contemporary international relations more generally.
This module explores this contested, and still unprocessed, past, examining a number of films and texts that interrogate the war and its aftermath. It also introduces students to a number of significant theoretical ideas (Pierre Nora’s lieu de mémoire; Cathy Caruth’s trauma and latency; Henri Rousso’s ‘passé qui ne passe pas’; Michael Rothberg’s multidirectional memory) that help us to better understand the operation—and manipulation—of memory, the impact of trauma, and the difficulty in coming to terms, over generations, with a painful past.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a basic understanding of French colonialism in general, and a more in-depth understanding of the French colonial presence in North Africa
2. Be able to analyse in detail a range of literary and cinematic works, in order to understand how the story of the Algerian war and its aftermath is presented, and to what political ends
3. Be able to engage critically and sensitively with a range of fictional materials, presented from radically different political perspectives (eg French setter/pied noir; harki, Algerian Muslim) and have reached an understanding of what this multiperspectivity brings in terms of understanding a still very unsettled narrative
4. Have understood the evolution in our understanding of this conflict, taking account of French denial of its very existence, the role that propaganda played for both sides, the significance of intergenerational memory and forgetting/repression, and the effect of the opening of the archives
5. Understand the continuing importance of this historical moment for contemporary politics
6. Demonstrate understanding of contemporary theories of memory, trauma and repression
Skills
· Close textual analysis
· Close visual analysis
· Comparative analysis
· Critical engagement
· Independent research and time management
Students should develop knowledge of twentieth-century social history through a case-study of Belfast. By conducting their own interview, and analysing those conducted by the other members of the group, students should develop a working knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of oral history as a research method and thus enhance their understanding of the broader methodological issues posed by research in modern social history. They should develop team-working skills (through collaborative research on their chosen topic), as well as their capacity for independent learning (through the conduct of one-to-one interviews and the transcription and analysis of those interviews). Oral presentational skills will be developed through reporting on work-in-progress in seminars. The module will, therefore, significantly enhance many of the skills related to the types of employment to which history graduates aspire, i.e. team-working, interpersonal skills, the ability to synthesize large bodies of information, and the compilation of written reports.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should have acquired the following skills:
Team-working (through collaborative research on your chosen topic)
A capacity for independent learning (through the conduct of one-to-one interviews and the transcription and analysis of those interviews).
Oral presentational and interpersonal skills will be developed through reporting on work-in-progress in seminars and by carrying interviewing.
The ability to synthesize large bodies of information
The ability to compile professionally prepared written reports.
Skills
Taking Recording History should enable students to:
develop skills in the collection and analysis of primary sources
gain experience of project management
develop research skills
gain experience of pitching project ideas in a non-academic context
develop experience of the professional compilation and presentation of research results, including footnoting, referencing
An exploration of linguistic varieties of contemporary French, including regional variation, the role of socioeconomic status, age, gender etc and varieties of French spoken outside France.
Learning Outcomes
A detailed critical understanding of linguistic varieties of contemporary French, including phonological, syntactic and lexical variation.
Skills
Marshalling and synthesising diverse material; critical awareness; skills in written and oral expression, and in linguistic analysis.
This Level 2 module introduces French postwar Film Noir and Crime Fiction. It will contextualize this cultural production within historical circumstances and trends of the period, such as American influences on French Culture, Existentialism, 'Leftism' and 'Néo-Noir'. Aesthestics of the 'Noir' genre will be studied through a variety of Media, including Film, Novel, Comics and Posters. Among the themes discussed will feature Depiction of the City, Slang ('argot') and Modern Morals.
Learning Outcomes
Students should, after completion of this module: have acquired an awareness of the relation between commercial culture and artistic culture; have gained an understanding of the process of reception and assimilation of foreign cultural products; be able to analyse how art forms converge in a cultural phenomenon such as the 'Noir'; be able to analyse different kinds of documents and draw upon relevant primary and secondary sources in order to present structured, cohesive arguments in oral and written form; have developed transferable skills in group work, time-management and in the use of Powerpoint.
Skills
Textual analysis skills; written and oral expression skills; critical analysis.
The history of the interwar period in Europe is a familiar story to many, with the rise of Stalin and Hitler forming the central pillars of the narrative. This module offers a new perspective on this period, exploring issues that enable comparisons, as well as highlight contrasts, between the histories of various European states and peoples. It is:
- thematic, not chronological, in structure, though it clearly has a first part focused on the 1920s, and a second on the 1930s
- geographically de-centred – we are as likely to discuss Italy and Spain, as Germany and Russia
- organised in a way that suggests the Spanish Civil War was both the central epic of our period but also the culmination of interwar social, political and cultural struggles
- focused on social and cultural aspects of the period, as much as political and economic – we are as likely to discuss gender and art, as fascism and communism
- based on wide-ranging and in-depth reading, including fictional works and films read as texts
- aimed at those who want to go beyond men with moustaches, who enjoy the unusual and the quirky and like to go off the beaten track in their history studies
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate:
- a good knowledge of the political regimes and their ideologies which were established in Europe during this period
- an understanding of the economic forces at work between 1919 and 1939 and their implications for various European societies
- an understanding of the outlook and experiences of various sectors of European society, including ethnic minorities and women
- familiarity with primary sources from this period and with relevant secondary materials and historiographical debates
- the ability to identify and select information relevant to the topic area from a variety of sources
- the ability to analyse and evaluate evidence and argument
- the ability to present your own arguments in essays, using appropriate evidence to support your views
- the ability to work effectively within a group, making appropriate contributions to discussions, debates and tasks, as well as contributing and presenting a group presentation
Skills
- to provide students with an understanding of European history between 1918 and 1939, in the context of previous and later historical developments
- to acquaint students with a variety of historical sources from this period including official documents and the press, films and images, as well as with secondary materials and historiographical debates
- to promote the development of key skills required to study history effectively
Apocalypse: Cultures, communities, and the end of the world
Overview
The aim of the course is to introduce students to historical and anthropological reflection on millennial / millenarian beliefs and movements across space and time. Taking a long view of historical events and using case studies of present-day groups that attend to ideas about the end of the world, taking advantage of the interdisciplinary character of the School, and using a wide range of primary sources, including novels, film, websites, and ethnographic case studies and film, this course will invite students to consider the ancient roots of millennial theory; its foundational texts, exponents / prophets and movements; examples of well-known failed and successful millennial claims and movements, including the Crusades, radical puritans, Mormons, Jewish Zionists, American evangelicals, new religious movements, including UFO and suicide cults, and radical Islamists; the use of millennial theory as presentist critique; the development of millennial majorities, and the social, cultural and political implications of their dominance; millennialism’s place in utopian theory; and a final consideration of theoretical rejoinders, in which the course leaders encourage students to consider whether millennial claims might be right – for example, in terms of global warming – and whether that might change the way in which historians and anthropologists should approach the subject.
Learning Outcomes
An understanding of the broad history and anthropology of millennial movements across space and time; An ability to discuss millennial ideas and movements using heuristic tools from history and anthropology; An ability to use electronic resources and to develop key research skills; Effective communication skills; An ability to write an informed analysis of historical problems discussed in the module; An ability to work independently.
Skills
Enhanced ability to think critically, reason logically, and evaluate evidence; Further develop communication skills, both written and oral; Critical appraisal of, engagement with, and effective use of a variety of historical and anthropological sources.
The Roman Origins of the East and West; From Augustus to Charlemagne
Overview
This course focuses on one of the most exciting periods in the formation of the East and West, namely, the transition between the ancient and medieval worlds. Invasions of ‘barbarian’ hordes across the Rhine and Danube frontiers in the fifth and sixth centuries ended a stable system; in the seventh and eighth centuries, the invasions came from the south, as the forces of Islam exploded from Arabia and changed the Mediterranean Sea from a Roman lake to a contested frontier. In response to these political changes, individuals such as Augustine, Jerome, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzos, Basil of Nyssa and John Chrysostom sought to incorporate the Classical heritage into the Christian life. Beginning with the Emperor Augustus, this course charts the development of the Roman empire and surveys its major institutions and culture, from the mechanics of autocracy to the character of polytheism. The success of Christianity within this empire is examined, particularly in relation to persecution and the ways in which the triumphant Christian church shaped ‘late antiquity’ are explored. This world, however, became subject to forces of change that transformed it dramatically. The course proceeds to highlight the significance of Theoderic, King of the Ostrogoths, who strove to unify Roman and barbarian cultures. It also examines Justinian the Great, the Byzantine emperor, whose attempt to reunite the Roman world ultimately failed. This course looks at Rome’s successor states in the East and West, namely medieval Byzantium, Frankish Gaul, Ostrogothic Italy and Visigothic Spain. The emphasis is on the theme of continuity and change. We look at how the Franks, having conquered Gaul, drew on Roman imperial and Christian ideology to legitimise their authority; how the Visigoths, having established their authority in Spain, produced a remarkably rich Roman-based culture; how the Romans of Byzantium, under hammer blows of Gothic, Hunnic and Muslim invasions, forged an enduring Byzantine culture combining Roman polity, Greek civilisation and Christian religion.
Learning Outcomes
• Help students think critically, reason logically and evaluate evidence.
• Develop students’ written and communication skills.
• Encourage critical appraisal of historical sources.
• Enable students make effective use of electronic sources
Skills
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Late Roman and early medieval history.
• Make conceptual links between different historical periods and places.
• Trace concepts and ideas over time.
• Critically evaluate historical issues and problems in this field.
• Write essays and develop arguments, making extensive use of both primary and secondary literature in the field
A dramatic expansion of medieval Europe occurred between about 1000-1300. This module will explore the growth of kingship and state formation, but will cover not only political history, but also economic and social, religious and cultural change. The main historical themes that dominated and shaped the history of Europe in the central Middle Ages will be explored with a focus on those institutions that laid the foundations for the formation of modern Europe.
Learning Outcomes
Students should acquire knowledge of the history of medieval Europe and be able to recognize and evaluate historical debates relating to the content of the module; be able to engage with historical interpretations and to judge between them; be able to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the principal primary sources relating to the module; be able to write informed and critical analysis of the historical issues and problems explored in the module.
Skills
Development of skills in critically analysing, contextualising and evaluating different types of written evidence; development of a critical understanding and appraisal of different types of historical writing and of approaches and concepts used by historians;; development of writing skills through formative and assessed coursework and a timed examination; development of oral communicative skills through tutorial presentation.
The union and post-union government of Ireland; the development of nationalism and unionism in their different forms; the relationship between religion, politics and society; economic and social development, the famine and emigration; gender relations and the family; the land question and attempts to resolve it; Home Rule and resistance to it; Ireland’s relations with the British empire.
Learning Outcomes
Students should understand the key developments in Ireland’s political and social history over the course of the nineteenth century, in terms of continuities and changes.
Skills
The acquisition, weighing and assessment of historical information and interpretation. Analytical skills in interpreting and critiquing primary sources. Development of presentation skills involving the analysis and interpretation of material and articulation of evidence-based argument.
The making of contemporary Britain: 1914 to the present
Overview
The course examines key debates in British history between 1914 and the present and complements "The making of modern Britain". It charts political, economic and social change in twentieth century Britain, including decolonisation and the loss of empire.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, students should have developed an increased ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of contemporary British history as well as an enhanced ability to critically evaluate historical issues and problems in this field. Increased ability to discuss key historiographical debates relating to contemporary Britain. Students should also have enhanced ability to prepare written analyses of a primary source that draws upon key secondary literature. Increased ability to gather and synthesise material.
Skills
Students should develop an enhanced ability to think critically, reason logically and evaluate evidence, as well as to have further developed written and communication skills. They should also have an increased critical appraisal of and engagement with historical sources. Enhanced ability to make effective use of a range of sources.
This module will focus on museums from the Renaissance to the modern day, charting the transition from private collecting to public display. It will consider the shifting roles of museums across time and will provide students with an understanding of how and why museums’ aims, purposes and functions continue to change. Students will engage with debates about object collection, preservation, repatriation and display, and will explore some of the current issues facing museums. They will also consider diverse museum audiences, including the elite and wealthy audiences of the eighteenth century and international audiences served by twenty-first-century online museums. Through their reading, research and museum visits, students will also begin to appreciate the different roles of museum staff and through their object engagement project, will gain vital skills that could be useful for their own future employment.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, the successful student should be able to
- Discuss the history of museums
- Understand debates about the purpose, aims and roles of museums in society
- Explain how and why the function of museums and their target audiences have changed over time
- Identify current issues facing museums, particularly in Northern Ireland
- produce object labels or object biographies for a wide audience
Skills
- Analytical skills
- Research skills
- Object appreciation skills
- Written, oral and visual communication skills
- Debating skills
- Computer/multimedia skills
- Group work skills
The module will examine the revolutionary developments in Europe from the age of the high Renaissance around 1500 to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 and its aftermath. Although the course content will be structured and delivered chronologically, the main focus of the module will be on those specific events and developments that historians have labelled ‘revolutionary’. Included in the analysis will be the cultural innovations brought on by the Renaissance, the upheavals in the religious world effected by the Reformation, the social and political changes associated with the rise of the state, and the revolution in forms of thought (from the scientific to the political) that emerged during the Age of Enlightenment. The module will end with a close study of the French Revolution, which was in many ways the culmination of the events and developments that make up the content of the module.
Learning Outcomes
Students should acquire knowledge of the main historical developments of early modern European history and the extent to which the various revolutionary aspects of the age (from the religious and the cultural to the social and political) led to a fundamental reshaping of society and provided the foundations for the making of the modern age. The student should acquire knowledge and understanding of these historical developments in historical context, by which is meant they should acquire an understanding of the cause, consequences, and basic histories of developments such as the Renaissance, Reformation, state formation, and the rise of political revolution. They should also be able to place the specific developments within the broader dynamic of early modern history, thus acquiring a knowledge of how the various revolutions during this period influenced each other.
Skills
The module should enable the student to develop the following skills:
Analytical Thinking: the ability to identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; to construct independent arguments;
Critical & Independent Thinking: the ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field;
Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing;
Efficient and Effective Work Practice: demonstrate the ability to work efficiently to deadlines for both written work and tutorial presentations;
Clear Organisation of Information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information.
In a nation which would later commit itself to upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy, the early American South developed a distinct social order based on the enslavement and subordination of Africans and their descendants. This course will explore the development of southern distinctiveness over two centuries, from the evolution of racial ideology in the early Chesapeake to the armed defence of the South's "peculiar institution" in the Civil War.
Learning Outcomes
To explore and understand the unique development and problems of the American South.
Skills
The ability to analyse and explain orally and on paper, the complex issues relating to the topic.
The outcome of the Civil War sealed the destruction of slavery and raised hopes among African Americans and others of a new,more egalitarian social order in the American South. After a promising start in the immediate aftermath of the War,those hopes were crushed beneath the weight of racial reaction and the demands of the region's new industrial order,leaving ordinary southerners of both races languishing amidst intense poverty and racial violence. In this module we will attempt to understand both the remarkable resilience of racial divisions in the American South and the periodic attempts on the part of black and white southerners to challenge regional "tradition".
Learning Outcomes
To explore and understand the consequences of the ending of slavery in the American South.
Skills
An ability to analyse orally and on paper, the complex issues of race in the context of the American South.
Home Rule or Union?; Social and economic change; Gaelic revival and parliamentary politics; separatism; the Home Rule/Ulster crisis, 1912-14; war, rebellion and revolution; partition, independence and devolution.
Learning Outcomes
To understand the course of Irish development during the remaining years of the Union; partition, independence and devolution in Northern Ireland.
Skills
The acquisition and analysis of information; prioritisation and interpretation; effective presentation of written and oral reports.
The project will require the student to reflect on their extended period of residence abroad and the skills acquired as a result. It will include a 2000-word essay in the target language or languages. There will also be an oral examination in the target language or languages to be completed in the first half of the first semester following re-enrolment into Level 3.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module it is intended that you will have developed skills in the following areas: (i) Linguistic Skills: demonstrate advanced competence in the target language in both oral and written contexts; be able to understand the spoken language at near-native level; have developed enhanced strategies for independent language acquisition; be able to prepare and deliver an analytical report and oral presentation in the target language (ii) Academic/Professional Skills: have demonstrated an ability to adapt to a new educational/professional context; be able to analyse and reflect critically on these experiences, and to communicate your conclusions orally and in writing; have developed an awareness and understanding of the structures and ethos of an educational institution (school/university) or workplace in a foreign country, and draw comparisons with the UK/Ireland; have enhanced your employability profile (iii) Cultural Awareness: have gained an enhanced understanding of the culture and society of the foreign country through the experience of living and working/studying there; be able to draw comparisons with those of the UK/Ireland, and reflect critically on your own culture and society.
Skills
At the end of the module, it is intended that you will: have enhanced personal skills in six key areas (self-management & development, managing tasks, communication, working with others, applying knowledge, problem solving); be able to articulate these skills in such a way that you are able to maximise personal development during residence abroad for your future career.
Students complete a work, volunteer or study placement in fulfilment of the residence abroad requirements of their Modern Languages degree.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to demonstrate:
- Advanced linguistic skills
- Enhanced cultural and intercultural awareness
- An understanding of the work environment and professional skills OR an understanding of a different university system and enhanced academic skills
- Personal development
These skills will be assessed as part of the co-requisite module, either FRH3050 or SPA3050
Skills
Students undertaking the placement will develop their skills in the following areas: linguistic skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking); professional or academic skills; cultural and intercultural awareness; personal development.
Building on skills acquired at level 2, this module aims to develop the skills and understanding required to deal with a broad variety of language tasks. Linguistic, sociolinguistic and cultural awareness will be consolidated and deepened. The module will contain the following elements:
1. Written Language Skills (2 hours per week) which will offer students an opportunity to enrich their linguistic skills, consolidate grammatical awareness and develop facility in handling the structures of standard, modern French, across a variety of genres, by means of practical engagement with a range of texts carefully selected for both their linguistic interest (varying in style and register) and the insights they offer into aspects of contemporary France and the Francophone world. Emphasis is placed on accuracy, fluent and idiomatic expression, and linguistic flair. A variety of language acquisition and development methods will be employed: grammar practice, editing work, essay-writing, translation into English and into French.
2. Spoken Language (1 hour per week), which will focus on aspects of contemporary France and the Francophone world, with the aim of training students to speak accurately and fluently in French, to express a range of different ideas and opinions, and to organise material logically and coherently when presenting. This component of the module includes a presentation and extended discussion.
3. Contextual Study (1hr per week). This component, which will vary across the two semesters, will deepen and contextualise the other elements of the module by placing them in a broader cultural context and will include, for example, literary texts, films, art and linguistics. A specific languages for special purposes strands equip students in law or business with skills for legal and professional contexts. This element includes an essay in the target language.
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of the modules students should:
1) be able to demonstrate a high level of fluency, accuracy and spontaneity in written and oral French, including the use of a broad variety of linguistic structures and vocabulary;
2) be able to deal with a broad variety of material in the target language, including material which is complex and abstract, and which involves a variety of genres and registers; 3) be able to demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the structures of the language and their broader linguistic context and the ability to use appropriate reference works effectively;
4) be able to structure and present arguments at a high level in a range of formats and registers.
Skills
On successful completion of the modules students should have developed the following range of skills: Communication skills; translation skills; textual analysis; essay writing; lexicographical skills; IT skills; presentation skills; employability skills, such as report writing and editing skills; problem solving and critical thinking.
This course will examine the causes and repercussions of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. This was a significant uprising by the peasantry (and others) within medieval England, though its roots and consequences are the subject of much debate. The fourteenth century as a whole was a period of much social and economic upheaval, dominated by famine, plague, war and heresy. Students will explore the Peasants’ Revolt by situating it within the wider contexts of medieval society, such as lord-peasant relations, the Black Death, the decline of serfdom, the Hundred Years War, the growing repression of the Wycliffite or Lollard heresy, the kingship of Richard II, and revolts across Europe in the late-fourteenth century. A variety of primary sources will be examined in depth, such as court rolls, laws, chronicles, literature and tax records, in order to gain a detailed insight into the nature of revolt.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will have:(a) acquired detailed knowledge of the events of the Peasants' Revolt; (b)understood key aspects of social, economic, political and religious changes in fourteenth-century England; (c) evaluated the different factors which contributed to the outbreak of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381; (d) analysed a variety of medieval primary sources in a knowledgeable and critical manner.
Skills
On completion of this module students will have: (a) critically analysed a variety of primary source material; (b) integrated social, economic, religious and political history; (c) evaluated and synthesised relevant secondary material; (d) followed an independent investigation of an historical subject, including identifying and locating suitable primary and secondary sources; (e) developed their communication skills in both written and oral forms.
War, Politics, and Identity in Late Medieval Ireland, c.1166-c.1521
Overview
This module explores the politics and culture of Ireland during the later medieval period. The module begins by assessing the state of Irish politics on the eve of the Anglo-Norman (or English) invasion of 1169. The course then charts the expansion and consolidation of English power during the later twelfth and thirteenth centuries before investigating the political and military recovery of the Gaelic Irish aristocracy during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The module pays close attention to the themes of ethnicity and identity formation. It examines how growing interaction between the Irish and English (as well as interactions with the Scots and Welsh) shaped attitudes towards being ‘Irish’ and being ‘English’ in late medieval Ireland. Students will also consider key events such as King John’s expedition of 1210, the Bruce invasions, the Black Death, Richard II’s expedition, the Wars of the Roses, and the impact of the Renaissance. The module concludes by examining the advent of the Tudors and the beginning of early modernity in Ireland. During the course, students will engage with a range of debates on the history and culture of late medieval Ireland. They will also be introduced to a rich meld of primary source material including Irish annals, bardic poetry, genealogical material, as well as English sources such as governmental records and chronicles.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of how Irish politics evolved c.1166-1521
• Discuss how scholarship has evolved on medieval Irish history
• Think critically about some of the main political, economic, social, and environmental factors shaping Irish history in this period
• Communicate ideas to others in a clear and concise manner, in both oral and written form
Skills
Upon successful completion of this module students will have:
• Enhanced their critical and analytical skills through close readings of primary sources.
• Completed a detailed literature review of the main debates in the secondary literature.
• Employed library skills to prepare assignments and research.
• Developed a greater degree of self-directed learning.
• Enhanced their oral and written presentation skills.
Religion and Empire: Christian Missions To Africa, Asia and Middle East
Overview
Christian missions are often seen as old fashioned, but for long they were at the forefront of modernity. They carried modernity overseas and brought back fresh ideas which helped shape new societies. This course investigates when and how Christian overseas expansion happened; how missionaries related to empire and indigenous peoples; why and how Africans or Asians chose to convert; what they did with the Christianitywith which they were confronted; and how missionary activities contributed to the elaboration of new ideas of race, class and scientific knowledge at home.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the module should
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the history of Christian expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries;
• Be able to develop critical arguments about religion and modernity in the West and in the rest of the world;
• Be able to engage successfully with archival material;
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of essay writing, bibliographic work, and oral presentation.
Skills
Critical writing; archival research; oral presentation.
Archival research will be kept to a minimum, in an archive in Belfast or online. The oral presentation will be a presentation of archival material to be used for the second (major) essay.
Death has traditionally been one of the great taboos of Western culture. While it is often discussed euphemistically, in English and French (he is “at peace”; she has “passed away”; “elle s’est éteinte dans son sommeil”; “il nous a quittés”…), there have been signs of a recent shift in our reluctance to confront, let alone discuss, death. The popularity of the modern Death Café network demonstrates that there has been something of a cultural revolution of late in respect of our desire to explore mortality. This interdisciplinary module, drawing on important new fields of enquiry, such as death studies and medical humanities, aims to explore what modern French literature reveals to us about ideological (cultural, ethical, religious, gendered) attitudes towards death. Using podcasts and sociological writings to frame our discussions, the module will focus on what some of France’s literary masterpieces from the nineteenth century to the present day can tell us about aspects of death. Engaging with topics such as sacrifice, suffering, (assisted) suicide, accompagnement, palliative care and bereavement, the module will be an opportunity for students to think about the following questions:
• What are the ideological and aesthetic concerns linked to representations of death in French literature?
• What does French literature tell us about the idea of a ‘good death’?
• How does French literature portray grief and mourning?
• How does French literature deal with sensitive social and ethical issues surrounding end-of-life care?
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this module, students will be able to:
a. Discuss knowledgably the issues raised by representations of death in a selection of French literary texts from the nineteenth century to the present day;
b. Understand better some of the cultural, ethical and legal issues raised by literary reflections on dying and death;
c. Develop close reading skills and make meaningful contrasts and comparisons between the various texts studied;
d. Appreciate better the role of literature in providing a voice to the patient, his/her carer(s) and medical professionals at the end of life.
Skills
This module will equip students with the capacity to:
a. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the chosen texts and an understanding of their significance in the broader historical / literary / cultural context in which they were produced;
b. Analyse and reflect critically on texts in the target language;
c. Argue at length and in detail in essay form about a specific topic, supporting the argument with evidence from the text and with opinions from secondary literature;
d. Use a range of literary-critical terminology, applying it to independently researched material as well as to material introduced by the course tutor;
e. Use recommended bibliographical tools and present a critical bibliography giving a balanced overview of an aspect of the subject;
f. Manage time effectively.
Extra-muros: language, film and literature in the banlieues
Overview
This interdisciplinary module allows students to critically examine the cultural representation of France’s densely populated and multicultural urban suburbs or banlieues, through the analysis and critique of the language, film, literature, and music which has developed in that context. Students will examine the contentious label of ‘banlieue’ as a genre in film and literature, and its contested status as applied to varieties of Modern French language use.
The module situates the banlieues in their sociological background, drawing on a range of press reports concerning key events like the 2005 and 2023 riots and the Justice pour Adama movement to critically evaluate the representation of these urban zones in French-language media. Students will be enabled to use techniques from linguistics such as Critical Discourse Analysis to engage with and evaluate media discourse about the banlieues, and to assess the realism of dialogue in fictional representations.
The module interrogates the diachronic development of cultural representations of the banlieues of Francophone Europe, as well as regional specificities in representation through the examination of a variety of texts across time-periods and regions.
Texts studied will vary from year to year in response to current events and student interests, but examples of likely texts include Kassiovitz, La Haine (1994), Sciamma, Bande de filles (2016), Ly, Les Misérables (2020), Begag, Le gone du chaâba (1986), Guène, Kiffe kiffe demain (2004) and Diallo, Deux secondes d’air qui brûle (2022) which will be approached alongside pertinent current music and Netflix’s Nouvelle École rap-reality show.
The module fosters media literacy and builds on literary, linguistic and film analysis approached in earlier modules. The module problematises representations of banlieue societies across contemporary cultural outputs and language use.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- explain the cultural importance of the banlieues in contemporary francophone Europe
- synthesise material from a variety of primary sources to critically evaluate cultural and linguistic representations of francophone society
- evince detailed understanding of the linguistic properties and social meanings of specific French varieties
- analyse societal representations in fictional and real-life contexts with reference to appropriate scholarship
Skills
This module will develop your skills in:
- intercultural awareness
- critical judgement
- textual, literary and linguistic interpretation and analysis
The American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877
Overview
Against the backdrop of increasing tensions over slavery, Abraham Lincoln posed the question in 1855 of whether the United States could “as a nation, continue together permanently—forever—half slave and half free.” The answer came in 1861, when war broke out between the federal government at Washington and the newly seceded Confederacy. The American Civil War and the period of Reconstruction that followed are sometimes referred to by historians as a “Second American Revolution”: together they constitute one of the most dramatic social upheavals of the nineteenth century world, and their outcome established the foundations upon which—for better or worse—the modern United States would be built.
Making use of a range of primary sources and some of the best recent scholarship in the vibrant field of Civil War & Reconstruction historiography, we will approach the events through close examination of key historical problems: sectionalism and the causes of war; Lincoln, war and emancipation; slavery and grand strategy, North and South; and Reconstruction & the limits of black freedom.
Learning Outcomes
To explore and understand this critical period in the history of the United States.
Skills
The ability to analyse and explain both orally and on paper, the complex issues relating to this topic.
This module examines the last century for the most populous country in the world. During that period China experienced far-reaching changes and after a long submission period to the Western powers reaffirmed its central role on the global stage. In terms of political structures, there was a move from empire to republic, and then from a right wing to a left wing mono party rule. In that regard, the century can be split into before and after World War Two, when the leadership of the country was first in the hands of the Chinese Nationalist Party led by Sun Yatsen and then Chiang Kaishek, and since 1949 by the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong, then Deng Xiaoping and his successors. The twentieth century for China also witnessed epochal changes regarding society and culture, including the New Cultural Movement, the May Four Movement, the emancipation of women, and opposition to Confucian values. The course also presents the intricate foreign policy, which passed from a tributary system, to Japanese occupation, to a central player of the Cold War in Asia, and to a central player in the globalized world of today.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the political and social changes of twentieth-century Chinese history.
• Confidently evaluate a range of relevant historiographical debates and approaches.
• Analyse and evaluate in translation a variety of primary sources drawn from across the period.
• Evaluate evidence for continuity and change across the period, and compare regional variations.
Skills
• Students will improve their ability to engage with and critique a variety of historical interpretations.
• Students will develop their ability to identify and locate primary and secondary sources and to exploit them in constructing sustained and coherent arguments.
• Students will enhance their self-confidence, team-working and oral and written communication skills by engaging in group discussions, making presentations, and submitting written work.
The Italian Renaissance statesman, political philosopher and historian Niccolò Machiavelli is best known for his treatise The Prince. Machiavelli’s creation of the archetype of the autocratic ruler has been admired by countless statesmen, historians and political scientists ever since.
It may therefore come as a surprise that the righteous “New World” Founders of the American Republic were almost without exception devoted followers of the “Old World” Machiavellian Prince. John Adams, for one, confessed that he was a keen “student” of Machiavelli, dubbing him “the restorer of true politics,” and a man who had brought about a “revival of reason in matters of government.” Needless to say, this poses some awkward questions around what Adams lovingly described as “Our pure, virtuous, public spirited federative Republick.”
But Machiavelli was not the only political thinker the American Founders turned to for ideas about how to build a new Republic that would withstand the test of time. In fact, they read just about every author who had written on the rise and fall of states. This poses a range of intriguing historical, political and constitutional questions. For if the nation state that the Americans cobbled together from examples they had found in previous philosophers, political historians and other writers, then how did they come up with the idea for an America that was ‘exceptional’ and hence unique among modern nations?
In this module we will be exploring America’s supposedly “exceptional” liberal tradition, destined by God himself to thrive for ever in a Republic beyond the reach of despotism, in which governments exists solely because they derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” And yet for many outside America, it is a nation that is socially, racially, economically, politically, ecologically, and morally broken. That said, America put humans on the moon (surely for some good reason) and relieved the world of many a dictator (though often not for legitimate reasons). And those who like to take aim at America’s social deprivation and capitalist greed, need to explain why socialism never even came close to getting a foothold in the country.
In this module we will be looking at how the nation that arose from the American Revolution and subsequently put its undisputable mark on the course of history (for better or for worse), comes across to many non-Americans as a phenomenon that is self-contradictory, if not wholly irrational. For that reason, this module sits at the confluence of political idealism and historical experience. Methodologically, the topic is wedged between the history of ideas and what may be described the history of fact or event.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will:
• Be able to integrate the history and politics of the US within world historical, political and cultural developments, particularly within a transatlantic context
• Be able to recognize recognize the key social and political events that marked the settlement of the Americas and the creation of the United States
• have gained an understanding of the processes of colonization, nationhood, and identity formation in the context of the America
• will be able to negotiate the different disciplinary aims and methodologies of the history of ideas and history proper
• will have an understanding of the interdependent relation between a nation’s—notably America—ideas and ideologies on the one hand, and historical event and experience on the other
Skills
• are able to use primary sources in fashioning arguments
• are able to analyze and interpret historiographical, literary, sociopolitical and philosophical sources as well as cultural artefacts
• can make constructive contributions to class discussions and reproduce relevant material under exam conditions
• have some grasp of how to situate their own interpretations of this period in a broader historiographical fabric have improved oral and writing skills
• Students will learn to build these sources first into their essay, and then into their take-home exam essays.
An exploration of the development of Caribbean literature in French in the latter half of the twentieth century. The module is studied through representative prescribed texts and other source material.
Learning Outcomes
To develop an awareness of the history of French colonialism and slavery, and of their continuing importance in contemporary society. A critical understanding of how the need to assert a sense of personal and/or collective identity is reflected in the texts studied. A sense of the rapid development of a relatively new literary tradition in the Caribbean islands.
Skills
Marshalling and synthesising diverse material. Skills in written and oral expression and close textual analysis.
Home Matters: Space, Gender and Identity in 19th-Century France and Belgium
Overview
This interdisciplinary course focuses on the home in literature, art and architecture in 19th-century France and Belgium. Drawing upon a series of 19th-century artworks, poetry, prose, domestic advice manuals, magazines, housing plans and other artefacts, we will question how domestic space was configured and represented.
In particular, we will consider how issues of gender and class are articulated via divisions and tensions around space. Our discussion will centre firstly on the construction of the modern city, with a particular emphasis on housing in Paris and Brussels. We will draw upon a series of 19th-century and present-day critics (eg. Duranty, Benjamin, Bachelard, Marcus, Heynen) to interrogate the relationship between the home and its inhabitant in the age of modernity. We will then apply this contextual and theoretical knowledge to a series of case studies in three distinct fields: literature, art and architecture.
In literature, we will discuss the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and Max Elskamp, together with extracts from Balzac’s novels; in art, we will consider the Impressionist paintings of Mary Cassatt, Gustave Caillebotte and Berthe Morisot and, in architecture, we will study Henry van de Velde’s own home Bloemenwerf House, a gesamtkunstwerk, which sought to exemplify artistic and social unity at the turn of the century.
Prescribed material: class dossier (available on Canvas)
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will:
1. Have acquired an in-depth understanding of the socio-political and cultural context of nineteenth-century France and Belgium.
2.Be familiar with a wide range of 19th-century texts, paintings and media.
3. Be able to engage with the work of different theorists in Art History, Literature, Cultural Studies, Material Culture and Architecture.
4. Know how to compare the works of artists, architects, designers and writers.
5. Be able to analyse works of art and literature in detail.
6.Understand the importance of interdisciplinary methodologies in learning about the past.
This module considers the ancient Greco-Roman city as a dynamic form of settlement, from its origins in archaic Greece to its demise (or transformation) in the late antique West. Our readings will include ancient discussions of the political and economic roles of cities and of urban architecture and design, as well as depictions in prose and poetry of everyday life in imperial Rome and classical Athens. We will also examine the material remains of these two ancient “mega-cities” and of the smaller but well-preserved cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. We will attempt to formulate our own definition(s) of the ancient city, and we will trace changes in the organization and uses of urban space, and in ancient writers’ conceptions of the political, social, economic, and religious roles of cities, over the course of classical antiquity.
Learning Outcomes
- An understanding of the historical and geographical diversity of ancient Mediterranean urbanism.
- An ability to recognize and evaluate historical debates (both ancient and modern) relating to the development of the Greco-Roman city.
- An ability to evaluate the wide range of textual and material-cultural evidence pertaining to the Greco-Roman city.
Skills
- The ability to engage with historical interpretations and to judge between them, both orally and in written form.
- The ability to evaluate the strengths and limitations of diverse primary and secondary sources.
- The ability to locate relevant sources and to construct a consistent written argument from them.
- The confidence to discuss, present and articulate arguments to peers.
United Irishmen and Unionists: the religion and politics of Ulster protestants
Overview
This course considers the religion and politics of protestants in Ulster from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. It examines the interplay of religious, social, and political developments by considering a number of themes. These include, the formation of the United Irishmen and the 1798 rebellion, the rise and significance of evangelicalism, the response of churches to urban growth and industrialisation, religious revivalism and missionary activity, the development of unionist politics, and church-state relations in Northern Ireland. Students will be encouraged to place Irish developments in a broader context. They will encounter a range of primary source material including pamphlets, newspapers, sermons, and official reports.
Learning Outcomes
An understanding of the relationships between the religion and politics of protestants in the north of Ireland.
An ability to engage with the most important historiographical debates relating to the subject-matter of the module.
An ability to evaluate critically, and place in their particular historical context, primary documentary sources relating to the subject-matter of the module.
An ability to write an informed analysis of the historical problems discussed in the module.
Skills
Enhanced ability to think critically, reason logically, and work independently.
Further develop communication skills, both written and oral.
Critical appraisal of, engagement with, and effective use of a variety of historical sources.
An examination of the Thatcher era (1979-1990) from political, cultural, social, intellectual and international perspectives. The module will also consider the longer-term, post-1945, development of Thatcherism and its legacy in the 1990s. Topics to be considered include: race and national identity; Britain and the wider world; devolution and local government; economics; party and identity politics; urban unrest; and debates over the nuclear deterrent.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate: 1) knowledge of the main developments of the Thatcher era, both in outline and fine detail; 2) an understanding of the deeper, and longer-term, changes occurring in British politics, society and culture after 1945; 3) an ability to engage with the relevant historiographical debates; 4) an ability to analyse a range of relevant primary sources; 5) an appreciation of the distinctive challenges of contemporary history.
Skills
On completion of this module, students should have acquired the following skills: 1) an increased ability critically to engage with historiography; 2) an increased ability to analyse primary sources; 3) an increased ability to develop an argument in written and oral forms.
The module will explore revolutionary politics in Ireland between 1916 and 1921. Key themes will include the rise of Sinn Fein following the Easter Rising, the establishment of Dail Eireann, the Irish Volunteers' military campaign and the British government's response to these political and military challenges. The course will make use of a wide range of local and thematic studies to investigate controversial questions relating to the Irish revolution: what factors motivated republicans, how important was sectarianism in revolutionary violence, why did some areas of the country see little fighting and how important a factor was the north?
Learning Outcomes
An ability to identify the key issues and themes of this period. An understanding of the importance of the economic, social and cultural forces which contributed to the political events of this period. An ability to assess and evaluate a range of approaches to the key controversies relating to the Irish revolution. An understanding of the historiography of the Irish Revolution.
Skills
The ability to demonstrate an argument based on study of documents and secondary readings in a written essay and examination paper. Oral participation in tutorials through debate and presentations. Assessing and evaluating conflicting arguments in the secondary literature.
The module will examine the rise of Protestantism in the early modern period (1517-1740), from the onset of the Reformation in Germany and Switzerland to the spread of the movement throughout Europe and America to the eve of the mainstream Enlightenment.
Learning Outcomes
To introduce students to history of confessional development in Europe; to encourage critical thought.
Skills
Analysis of textual evidence (primary and secondary) and the ability to formulate arguments in written and oral form.
The political, social, economic and international conditions leading to Bolshevik success after 1917; the nature of the Soviet state as evolving under Lenin ; the evolution of Stalin's personal rule and the Stalinist system; the nature and limits of de-stalinization under Kruschchev.
Learning Outcomes
To understand the Bolshevik takeover of Russia, the adaption of Marxism to Russian conditions and the adjustment of the peoples of Russia to such circumstances.
Skills
To discover, assess and select evidence mainly from secondary sources, to interpret and evaluate this material, to envisage the ways of thinking in a very different environment.
To understand the most terrible historical moment in modern Irish history. This single-semester module is concerned with one of the great climacteric episodes in Irish history. The demographic, economic, social and political events of the period 1845-49 will be studied in detail. Considerable attention will also be paid to the decades preceding the Great Famine, in an attempt to answer the question: "was the Great Famine inevitable?" Similarly, consideration will be given to the longer-term economic, social and political consequences of the Great Famine. This is a tutorial-led module and will employ a purpose-designed tutorial handbook.
Learning Outcomes
To understand the most terrible historical moment in modern Irish history.
Skills
The analysis of historical problems; critical evaluation of facts and arguments; the interpretation of primary historical evidence; practice in constructing and writing informed and literate essays; verbal presentation and group work.
Extermination: History and Memory of the Murdered Jews of Europe
Overview
This is a final-year UG taught module devoted to the destruction of European Jewry during the Second World War. The module will treat separately the following components of the history and memory of an event often referred to as the Holocaust or Shoah, but here called “the Extermination”: 1. The origins of the Jewish peoples some 5,000 years ago and their eventual settlement in North Africa and Europe near the end of the Ancient period. 2. The flowering of Jewish culture in the Middle Ages and Early Modern periods. 3. The growth of antisemitism and anti-Jewish pogroms across Europe from the late 19th C., spawning successive waves of emigration. 4. The peculiar qualities of Nazified antisemitism in Germany from 1933, included the piecemeal and soon wholesale denial of civil rights for German Jews. 5. Wartime escalation of the persecution of Jews, both in Germany and across occupied Europe. 6. The transition to ghettoization, and then extermination, resulting in the murder of six million Jewish persons by spring 1945. 7. The implication in the Extermination of a wide array of collaborators beyond Nazi Germans, including bystanders, neighbors, neutral governments and the Allies. 8. Post-1945 memory wars, stalled attempts at reparations and restitutions, and the creation of public history research centers and memorials. 9. The struggles to represent the Extermination, on the stage, in the cinema, on the page and in other media. 10. The more recent biological imperative for historians to reinvent Holocaust Studies as the last wartime survivors and eyewitnesses die out.
Learning Outcomes
* an understanding of the destruction of the Jews of Europe between 1939 and 1945, in the context of previous and later historical developments * knowledge of a variety of historical sources from this period, including official documents and the press, memoirs, novels, films and images, as well as with secondary materials and historiographical debates appearing books and articles * knowledge of the wartime European political regimes and their ideologies that gave rise to exterminationist antisemitism * an understanding of the outlook and experiences of various sectors of Jewish society over the course of WWII, including women and children * an understanding of the post-war emergence of Holocaust studies and the various ways that the Extermination was remembered, memorialised, but also trivialised and falsified * an appreciation of the depths of the problems of representation, on the screen and on the page, as well as in other forms of representation * an understanding of the key role of survivor testimonies in creating narratives of the Extermination, and the current crises of transition to a post-survivor re-invention of Holocaust studies.
Skills
* to promote the development of key skills required to study history effectively * the ability to identify and select information relevant to the topic area from a variety of sources * the ability to analyse and evaluate evidence and argument * the ability to present your own arguments in essays, using appropriate evidence to support your views * the ability to work effectively within a group, making appropriate contributions to discussions, debates and tasks, as well as contributing and presenting a small group presentation * to hone public speaking skills and confidence, through discussions, debates and presentations
The Rise of Christianity 2: The Conversion of the Roman Empire
Overview
A study of the growth of the Christian community within the Roman world from the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (AD 70) to the death of Constantine the Great (AD 337). Students will assess the variety and character of early Christian teaching; the appearance and definition of heresies; the literary interaction between the upholders of Roman religio and Christians; the nature and extent of persecution within the Roman empire; the conversion of Constantine the Great (c. AD 312) and its significance for the Roman empire.
Learning Outcomes
To understand the methods used for the resconstruction of an historical topic and acquire advanced perspectives of early Christianity in its Roman context.
Skills
Advanced development of skills of analysis and evaluation, in particular the organization and interpretation of widely scattered and frequently fragmentary source material.
Wolf Children and Baby Boomers: The Family in European History 1945-1970s
Overview
The Second World War caused enormous upheaval to families across Europe, separating parents and children as well as couples and resulting in an estimated 11 million children having lost one or more parents by 1945. The project of the reconstruction of post-war Western European society placed a huge emphasis on reuniting families, where possible, and reconstructing the so-called traditional family. As the Cold War took hold, the idea of the ‘traditional’ – nuclear, Christian – family also came to be seen as a bulwark against the threat of Communism. However the return to traditional family life after 1945 was in large part an illusion, since the impact of war was so deep that there could be no return to normal. The long separation of war put enormous strain on the couples and families who were reunited, while aerial bombardment meant that millions had lost their homes: separation, divorce and single mothers were common features of the late 1940s. The war also changed how psychologists thought about parents and children: witnessing the trauma of children in war sparked a new focus on children and childhood in psychoanalysis.
By the 1950s, Western European society was also being transformed in new ways: migration was transforming European cities into modern, multicultural spaces, while villages and farmlands across Europe were being emptied of people. The scale of social change meant that political and religious authorities also felt the so-called traditional family to be under threat, prompting moral panics about women and youth. By the late 1960s, it was clear that the ‘traditional family’ of conservative, Christian rhetoric was deeply out of touch with reality. The ‘sexual revolution’ of the 1960s gave way to wide-scale youth revolt by the end of the decade. The 1968 protests which erupted across schools and universities in France, Italy, West Germany and beyond, were above all a generational rebellion. The second-wave feminist and gay liberation movements of the 1970s continued their radical critique of the family, suggesting new communal forms of living were the answer.
This module will examine the political importance of the family in the post-war reconstruction and the Cold War, setting the rhetoric of political and religious leaders against the reality of changing family life, while exploring how new ideas of family life emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. We will draw on the history of the emotions to discuss changing family relationships. We will also examine how ideas about children, childhood and adolescence changed over the late twentieth century from the fears about feral ‘wolf children’ playing in the rubble of bombed cities to the emergence of the teenager in the 1960s. While the focus will be on Western Europe, with case studies drawn from France, Britain, Italy and West Germany, we will also examine the alternative ways of thinking about the family that emerged from communism. Tutorials will focus on source analysis and discussion: primary sources will be drawn from newspapers, political posters, novels, memoirs and films as well as manifestos and oral history interviews.
Weekly topics may include:
Displaced children after 1945
Returning veterans and post-war families
The family as Cold War propaganda
Moral panics about 1950s youth
Race, migration and multiculturalism in Britain and France
Migration and the family in southern Europe
Radical ideas about family in 1960s Italy and West Germany
Learning Outcomes
Aims
• Explore a variety of approaches to the history of the family, as they apply to late twentieth-century Europe.
• Examine the history of family life in late twentieth-century Europe as it intersects with cultural, social and political developments in history from the impact of World War II, the rise of consumer society, developments in medicine and technology to the rise of youth cultures, counter cultures and protest movements.
• Prompt reflection and debate about how and why the private, intimate sphere of family life can become the subject of political and religious concern.
Objectives
Having successfully completed the module, you should be able to:
• Understand the different methodological approaches to the modern history of the family.
• Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of different types of primary sources including personal testimonies, manifestos, fiction and mass media sources such as film, magazines and documentaries.
• Discuss how commercial, religious and political forces have shaped people’s attitudes to family life, emotions and relationships over the course of the late twentieth century.
• Be able to draw connections and comparisons across time and space, using the case studies covered in the module.
Skills
In completing this module you will develop the following skills:
• Analysing and discussing a range of primary sources in textual, visual and audio-visual forms
• Working individually and as part of a group to analyse sources and readings, and to present historical arguments
• Examining and evaluating the arguments of other historians
• Presenting your arguments and analyses in written form
Students will research and write a dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words on an appropriate subject negotiated with a member of staff.
Learning Outcomes
Students will have gained a detailed knowledge of the secondary literature and primary sources relating to a specific historical problem, and will have acquired first hand experience of the processes involved in producing a piece of historical writing based on primary sources.
Skills
Students will acquire skills in identifying, locating, and gathering information from a variety of sources, in analysing evidence and formulating reasoned conclusions, and in presenting the results of research and analysis in an appropriate format.
This module will focus on various crimes and different forms of punishment in nineteenth-century Ireland. It will consider offences against property and the person, including political offences, arson, murder, infanticide, domestic and child abuse, prostitution and sex offences. The punishment of criminals changed significantly during the nineteenth century and included execution, transportation, and imprisonment. Other suspects were deemed to be insane and were transferred to the so-called lunatic asylum. Much attention was devoted to the ways in which criminals could be punished and reformed before being safely released back into society. In this module, students will explore how female and male suspects, criminals and convicts were treated during this period. Emphasis will also be placed on the interpretation of primary source material relating to crime and punishment in nineteenth-century Ireland.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, the successful student should be able to: Outline motives for and consequences of various criminal offences; Identify, describe and assess ways that criminals and convicts were punished in nineteenth-century Ireland; Locate, question and interpret nineteenth-century sources relating to crime and punishment; Identify how the Irish experience of crime and punishment compared to other countries; Present work in written form for different audiences and develop additional transferable skills such as team-working and quantitative research skills.
Skills
Analytical skills; Research skills; Written and oral communication skills; Debating skills; Quantitative methods skills; Computer skills; Group work skills; Peer assessment skills.
This module investigates the making of the Irish diaspora; explores factors that led unprecedented numbers of Irish migrants to permanently leave the country of their birth in the course of the 19th century and comparatively assesses the often challenging experiences of Irish migrants in the leading host societies of Britain, the United States and Australia. It also assesses the Irish migrant outflow against the backdrop of European migration to ascertain the distinctive features of Irish 19th-century migration. Course contents: Week 1 Introduction to migration history Week 2 The Scattering: the Irish case study Week 3 The key features of a diaspora Week 4 Pre-famine migratory patterns Week 5 Famine migration Week 6 Post-famine migration Week 7 Women and Irish migration Week 8 Host society analysis I: Britain Week 9 Host society analysis II: The United States Week 10 Host society analysis III: Australia - convict migration Week 11 Host society analysis IV: Australia - free settler migration
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will:
In Understand the social and economic conditions in Ireland, and in recipient countries over the course of a century; Comprehend why people leave their country of birth; the difficulties and prejudices they often face in their new homelands; and the impact of migration on the place of birth and to the place of destination; Develop a wider and deeper understanding of the experience of Irish migration and the historical debates that surround the Irish diaspora; Understand the occupational and residential distribution of Irish migrants, paying particular attention to regional diversity and gender difference; An Be aware of the comparative aspect of migration studies; AN Be able to investigate migration in a rigorous academic manner Co Communicate historical arguments effectively both orally and in writing Have knowledge of Irish immigrants’ political, cultural and religious affiliation and the complex and problematic questions of ethnic identity, ethnic fade and attitudes to migrant populations which are issues of considerable contemporary resonance.
Skills
Managing and Prioritising Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; manage such information in an independent manner Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments Critical and Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field professional and career development skills Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance Practical and technical skills: demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT/historical databases/online archival resources. Organisational skills: Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; show ability for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way Enterprising thinking: Demonstrate ability to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, to display originality of thought and argument and the ability to clearly support arguments by the use of historical evidence
Sin Cities? Everyday Life in the Modern Metropolis
Overview
What, when and - perhaps most importantly - where was modernity? Were cities merely the inactive sites or containers of emerging economic, social and cultural processes, or was urbanity a fundamental part of what it meant to be living in a ‘modern age’? ‘Sin Cities’ explores these questions through the study of metropolitan centres in the Western world between c.1880-1939. You will be taken through urban life in places such as London, New York, Paris and Berlin – and the pleasures, anxieties and identities that they came to represent.
The course begins with the late-nineteenth century growth of both academic and popular belief in the idea that cities were now somehow different to what had come before – new, shocking, and possibly the end (or maybe the beginning?) of Western society. Following lectures and tutorials range widely across a diverse field of analytical approaches and topics, including: sexuality sub-cultures; shopping and entertainment; miscegenation and ‘slumming’; prostitution and ‘sexual danger’; and the rise of urban sociology. We will end the module by debating the importance of the ‘urban variable’, and its value as a distinct category of historical analysis.
Learning Outcomes
i) Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of urban history as a specific discipline.
ii) Students will be able to critique the concept of ‘modernity’ in a Western framework.
ii) Students will hone their capability to understand different theoretical approaches (gender, class, sexuality) relevant to social history more broadly.
iv) Students will be able to understand the history of different countries in a comparative framework.
Skills
i) Students will enhance their ability to critically analyse different primary sources in connection with secondary literature.
ii) Students will increase their confidence and ability to orally present analysis and argument, working in groups.
iii) Students will increase their ability to organise and synthesise secondary literature in a coherent argument.
There is a complicated and academically understudied history between African-descended peoples and Irish immigrants in the Americas. Both populations experienced the effects of colonization and displacement in their native lands and discrimination and exploitation in the “New World.” The web of relations between Africans and Irish people, however, was multifaceted. There are numerous examples of Irish-descended individuals who fell along the spectrum from enslavers to overseers to anti-slavery advocates to allies and countless other roles.
This module will employ a comparative lens and will be particularly focused on two Deep South cities in North America, New Orleans and Natchez, and a Caribbean island (TBD), all with vibrant Black and Irish populations. New Orleans contained the largest slave market in the 19th century US and a robust free Black population. Natchez, Mississippi held the second-largest slave market during the same period and the biggest population of free Black people in that state, although much smaller than New Orlean’s. All three places also had Irish immigrant communities. We will explore the linkages between Irish-descended immigrants and free and enslaved Africans and African Americans in these places to flesh out some of the intertwined dimensions of their relationships. The module will be informed by the growing historiography of this pointed topic while being grounded in the rich literature of studies of slavery and freedom in the regions. Students will heavily engage in rich and relevant primary source materials.
Learning Outcomes
After completion of this module, students will have:
A broad understanding of major trends in the historiography of the patterns of forced and voluntary migration to the Deep South and Caribbean and the development of these regions into slave societies.
An understanding of the intricacies of relationships between Africans and Irish-descended people within these societies.
An understanding of the socially-constructed and shifting nature of racial and ethnic ideology in these locales in the Americas.
Skills
Students will speak and write with fluency about the key developments within this historiographical field.
Students will analytically review a relevant book in this field.
Students will critically evaluate primary documents and understand their importance for reconstructing the past.
Students will assess the quality of a range of online resources and make use of them in an historical essay.
Students will recognize and evaluate interpretive differences in historical writing on the subject.
Students will plan and implement an extended research project on a centrally related theme.
Post A-level French
ABB including A-level French.
Note: for applicants who have not studied A-level French then AS-level French grade B would be acceptable in lieu of A-level French.
Beginners Level French
ABB + GCSE French grade B or evidence of linguistic ability in another language. Note: the Beginners' option is not available to those who have studied A-level or AS-level French.
A maximum of one BTEC/OCR Single Award or AQA Extended Certificate will be accepted as part of an applicant's portfolio of qualifications with a Distinction* being equated to a grade A at A-level and a Distinction being equated to a grade B at A-level.
Irish leaving certificate requirements
H3H3H3H3H3H3/H2H3H3H3H3 including Higher Level grade H3 in French
International Baccalaureate Diploma
33 points overall, including 6(French),5,5 at Higher Level
Graduate
A minimum of a 2:2 Honours Degree, provided any subject requirement is also met
Note
All applicants must have GCSE English Language grade C/4 or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.
How we choose our students
Applications are dealt with centrally by the Admissions and Access Service rather than by individual University Schools. Once your on-line form has been processed by UCAS and forwarded to Queen's, an acknowledgement is normally sent within two weeks of its receipt at the University.
Selection is on the basis of the information provided on your UCAS form. Decisions are made on an ongoing basis and will be notified to you via UCAS.
For last year's intake, applicants for this BA programme offering A-level/BTEC Level 3 qualifications must have had, or been able to achieve, a minimum of five GCSE passes at grade C/4 or better (to include English Language). Performance in any AS or A-level examinations already completed would also have been taken into account and the Selector checks that any specific entry requirements in terms of GCSE and/or A-level subjects can be fulfilled.
For applicants offering Irish Leaving Certificate, please note that performance at Irish Junior Certificate (IJC) is taken into account. For last year’s entry applicants for this degree must have had, a minimum of 5 IJC grades C/Merit. The Selector also checks that any specific entry requirements in terms of Leaving Certificate subjects can be satisfied.
Offers are normally be made on the basis of three A-levels. Two subjects at A-level plus two at AS would also be considered. The offer for repeat candidates is set in terms of three A-levels and may be one grade higher than that asked from first time applicants. Grades may be held from the previous year.
Applicants offering two A-levels and one BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/National Extended Certificate (or equivalent qualification), or one A-level and a BTEC Diploma/National Diploma (or equivalent qualification) will also be considered. Offers will be made in terms of the overall BTEC grade(s) awarded. Please note that a maximum of one BTEC Subsidiary Diploma/National Extended Certificate (or equivalent) will be counted as part of an applicant’s portfolio of qualifications. The normal GCSE profile will be expected.
Access courses, BTEC Extended Diplomas, Higher National Certificates, and Higher National Diplomas can be considered, provided the subject requirements for entry to French are also fulfilled.
The information provided in the personal statement section and the academic reference together with predicted grades are noted but, in the case of BA degrees, these are not the final deciding factors in whether or not a conditional offer can be made. However, they may be reconsidered in a tie break situation in August.
A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking would not normally be considered as part of a three A-level offer and, although they may be excluded where an applicant is taking four A-level subjects, the grade achieved could be taken into account if necessary in August/September.
Candidates are not normally asked to attend for interview.
If you are made an offer then you may be invited to a Faculty/School Visit Day, which is usually held in the second semester. This will allow you the opportunity to visit the University and to find out more about the degree programme of your choice and the facilities on offer. It also gives you a flavour of the academic and social life at Queen's.
If you cannot find the information you need here, please contact the University Admissions Service (admissions@qub.ac.uk), giving full details of your qualifications and educational background.
International Students
Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region. Use the dropdown list below for specific information for your country/region.
English Language Requirements
An IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each test component or an equivalent acceptable qualification, details of which are available at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.
International Students - Foundation and International Year One Programmes
INTO Queen's offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help prepare international students for undergraduate study at Queen's University. You will learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre on campus, and will have full access to the University's world-class facilities.
These programmes are designed for international students who do not meet the required academic and English language requirements for direct entry.
Studying for a French and History degree at Queen‘s will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. http://www.prospects.ac.uk
Employment after the Course
Graduates of French and History go on to work in a very wide range of sectors, including media and communications, civil service, advertising, journalism, tourism, teaching and translation. They are particularly in demand in careers requiring a high level of communication and presentation skills, as well as strong critical and analytical thinking.
Employment Links
Graduates from this degree at Queen‘s are well regarded by many employers (local, national and international) and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline, including History.
The following is a list of the major career sectors that have attracted our graduates in recent years:
Fast-stream Civil Service
Journalism
Accountancy
Management consultancy
Museums, archives and libraries
Performing arts
Public relations
Publishing, journalism and media
Teaching
Voluntary sector/charities
90% of our graduates are in employment or further study within 6 months of graduation.
Alumni Success
"I really enjoyed my degree, especially the year abroad which allowed me to gain valuable professional experience and intercultural awareness. In addition, the high degree of analytical and linguistic training I received has prepared me very well for my work in the Department of Education in the areas of policy and legislation."
Sarah Malcolmson, graduated in 2003 in French and History, is now a Deputy Principal in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Prizes and Awards
At Stage 1, the Martin Lynn Memorial Prizes recognise the best performances in the ‘Exploring History I’ and ‘Exploring History II’ modules.
Students receive a certificate of distinction for first class performance in the Stage 3 oral examination in French.
The A. N. Troughton Award and the Samuel and Sarah Ferguson Travel Prize recognise academic achievement at Stages 1 and 2.
The Chris Shorley Prize rewards the best performances in the French Language exam in Stage 3.
The Denis Rebbeck Prize is awarded to the student who shows most promise at the end of Stage 2.
The Esther Ballantine Prize is awarded for the best performance in any pathway involving modern history
The J.C. Beckett Prize is awarded for the best overall performance by a Stage 1 History student.
The K.H. Connell Prize rewards the graduating student who has the best performance in an Economic and Social History module.
The Lewis Warren Prize is awarded for the best performance in any Medieval History module at Stages 2 or 3.
The Mary Gardiner Prize is awarded to the Stage 3 student who achieves greatest distinction in Ancient History in the final examinations.
The QUB History Society Prize rewards the best group project in ‘History and Historians: Contested Pasts’.
The Montgomery Medal is awarded for the best final-year undergraduate dissertation on an aspect of current affairs in Ireland.
The Richard Bales Prize is awarded to the student with the highest mark in a French optional module in Stage 3.
There are a number of undergraduate prizes available to top-performing students on this pathway. In addition to Foundation Scholarships recognizing outstanding achievement in Stage 1, we have a range of endowed prizes.
Degree Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
1EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
The tuition fees quoted above for NI and ROI are the 2024/25 fees and will be updated when the new fees are known. In addition, all tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase in each year of the course. Fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Tuition fee rates are calculated based on a student’s tuition fee status and generally increase annually by inflation. How tuition fees are determined is set out in the Student Finance Framework.
Additional course costs
Students have a compulsory year abroad in year 3 of their degree. Students who undertake a period of study or work abroad are responsible for funding travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. These costs vary depending on the location and duration of the placement.
Queen's University Belfast is committed to providing a range of international opportunities to its students during their degree programme. Details of this provision are currently being finalised and will be available from the University website once confirmed.
A limited amount of funding may be available to contribute towards these additional costs, if the placement takes place through a government student mobility scheme.
All Students
Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.
Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.
Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.
If a programme includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.
Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.
There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
How do I fund my study?
There are different tuition fee and student financial support arrangements for students from Northern Ireland, those from England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain), and those from the rest of the European Union.
Application for admission to full-time undergraduate and sandwich courses at the University should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/students.
When to Apply
UCAS will start processing applications for entry in autumn 2025 from early September 2024.
The advisory closing date for the receipt of applications for entry in 2025 is still to be confirmed by UCAS but is normally in late January (18:00). This is the 'equal consideration' deadline for this course.
Applications from UK and EU (Republic of Ireland) students after this date are, in practice, considered by Queen’s for entry to this course throughout the remainder of the application cycle (30 June 2025) subject to the availability of places. If you apply for 2025 entry after this deadline, you will automatically be entered into Clearing.
Applications from International and EU (Other) students are normally considered by Queen's for entry to this course until 30 June 2025. If you apply for 2025 entry after this deadline, you will automatically be entered into Clearing.
Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as is consistent with having made a careful and considered choice of institutions and courses.
The Institution code name for Queen's is QBELF and the institution code is Q75.
Additional Information for International (non-EU) Students
Applying through UCAS
Most students make their applications through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) for full-time undergraduate degree programmes at Queen's. The UCAS application deadline for international students is 30 June 2025.
Applying direct
The Direct Entry Application form is to be used by international applicants who wish to apply directly, and only, to Queen's or who have been asked to provide information in advance of submitting a formal UCAS application. Find out more.
Applying through agents and partners
The University’s in-country representatives can assist you to submit a UCAS application or a direct application. Please consult the Agent List to find an agent in your country who will help you with your application to Queen’s University.
