HIST260 - Keep Calm and Carry on British History Since 1901

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

10 cp from 100-level units in History or Politics and International Relations

Unit rationale, description and aim

In 1901, Queen Victoria was finally laid to rest. During her long reign, Britain had undergone remarkable demographic, political, social and economic change. Victorian Britain had developed into the workshop of the world, a formidable naval power and the centre of a vast global empire.

In the years since, Britain, and its place in the world, have changed dramatically. This course explores the history of Britain, from 1901 down to the present day. Across the semester we will investigate the political, social, economic and cultural history of the British Isles, together with the ways in which successive generations of historians and contemporary observers have sought to understand that story. We will draw on a range of official, private, and popular sources - everything from the census to the Sex Pistols.

The aim of this unit is to develop students' understanding of the many diverse and interconnected developments that together comprise the recent history of Britain. At the same time, we will pay regular attention to the ways in which Britain influenced, and was influenced by, the broader sweep of global history during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Discuss theoretical and factual knowledge of the social, cultural, political and economic history of Modern Britain and an awareness of the historical debates surrounding it (GA5, GA6, GA7)

LO2 - Communicate clearly in written and/or oral form, in a style appropriate to a specified audience (GA9)

LO3 - Locate, use and appropriately reference a variety of primary and secondary materials relevant to the history of Modern Britain to develop an evidence-based historical narrative or argument (GA3, GA8, GA10)

LO4 - Apply critical reading skills to your understanding of the history of Modern Britain and the methods that historians have used to research it (GA4, GA5)

LO5 - Interpret and reflect on key historical debates relating to real-world situations/case studies in Modern British history over time (GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6)

Graduate attributes

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Specific topics studied may include: 

• The British Empire ‘at home’ 
• British party politics and political reform 
• Suffragism  
• The Great War  
• The 1916 Easter Uprising  
• The Great Depression and Mass Observation 
• Sport and recreation 
• Interwar culture 
• Gender in Twentieth Century Britain 
• World World II 
• Post-war social democracy 
• Decolonisation, immigration and Europe 
• British pop culture and counter culture  
• Northern Ireland and the Troubles 
• Britain and the Cold War 
• Mrs Thatcher’s Britain and neo-liberalism 
• ‘Cool Britannia’ and New Labour 
• Devolution, nationalism and regional identity  
• The Great Recession, Brexit and the Commonwealth. 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

On-campus Mode 

This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total. 

This unit embraces active learning (including collaborative learning). It takes the form of a face-to-face class containing activities through which students will gain a deep understanding of the history of Modern Britain and the skills fundamental to the study of history. Key learning activities will include reading, writing, group discussion, primary source analysis, debate, and problem-solving. 

To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as lectures and tutorials or workshops, supported by webinars, podcasts or online materials when appropriate. The balance of the hours then become private study to prepare for class activities and complete set readings and assignments for this unit. 

Overseas Intensive Mode 

This unit embraces active learning (including collaborative learning). It takes the form of an overseas fieldtrip to Britain. During the fieldtrip students will undertake a range of learning activities through which they will gain a deep understanding of the history of Modern Britain and the skills fundamental to the study of history and heritage. Key learning activities will include reading, writing, group discussion, primary source analysis, debate, and problem-solving. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

On-Campus Mode 

The assessment program for this unit, is designed to enable students to demonstrate the development of their historical skills, and their knowledge of the history of Modern Britain, throughout the course of the semester. 

The Investigative Task assesses the student’s capacity to work with and interpret primary and secondary sources. This assessment may take the form of active research tasks that require students to locate and use primary and secondary sources; or, digital search techniques for online archives and/or digital newspaper databases. The investigative task assesses learning outcomes 1 and 2. 

The Student-led Learning Task requires students to work collaboratively to research a topic in modern British history and to present their findings to their peers and/or lecturer in an appropriate written/oral format. The Student-led Learning Task assesses Learning Outcomes 1-4. 

The Major Written Task, assesses the student’s ability to conduct a piece of substantive individual research on a topic in Modern British History, utilising both primary and secondary source materials. The Major Written Task assesses Learning Outcomes 2-5.  

Overseas Intensive Mode 

The assessment program for this unit, is designed to enable students to demonstrate the development of their historical skills, and their knowledge of the history of Modern Britain, both in the field and on their return to Australia. 

The Reflective Task assesses students’ capacity to engage analytically, reflectively and creatively with the experiences and historical locations encountered during the fieldtrip and to relate them to relevant topics within Modern British History. The reflective task assesses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.  

The Student-led Learning Task requires students to work collaboratively to research a topic in modern British history and to present their findings to their peers and/or lecturer in an appropriate written/oral format. The Student-led Learning Task assesses Learning Outcomes 1-4. 

The Major Written Task, assesses the student’s ability to conduct a piece of substantive individual research on a topic in Modern British History, utilising both primary and secondary source materials. The Major Written Task assesses Learning Outcomes 2-5.  

Overview of assessments

On campus face-to-face mode;

Overseas Intensive Mode

Representative texts and references

Carnevali, Francesca, and Julie-Marie Strange, eds. 20th Century Britain: Economic, Cultural and Social Change, 2nd ed. Abindgon: Routledge, 2014. 

Clarke, Peter. Hope and Glory. Britain 1900-1990, 2nd ed. London: Penguin, 2004. 

Darwin, John. The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of a British World-System, 1830-1970. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 

Gregory, Adrian. The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.   

Panikos, Panayi. An Immigration History of Britain: Multicultural Racism Since 1800. Abingdon: Routledge, 2014. 

Pugh, Martin. The Making of Modern British Politics, 1867-1945, 3rd ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2002. 

Todd, Selina. Young Women, Work, and Family in England 1918-1950. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. 

Vernon, James. Modern Britain, 1750 to the Present. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.  

Zweiniger-Bargielowska, Ina, ed. Women in Twentieth Century Britain, 2nd ed. Abingdon: Routledge, 2014.