Britain since 1900: The Decline and Fall of Empire (362-3-20)
Instructors
Holly E. D. Swenson
Meeting Info
University Hall 102: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
In 1900, Queen Victoria ruled over an explicitly Christian empire on which the sun never set, an empire that was the political and economic powerhouse of the world. By the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher was managing the decline of a multicultural Britain with questionable economic, military, and social power in a Cold War environment dominated by new powerhouses: the US and USSR. We will explore whether the story of twentieth century Britain is one only of decline or instead of something else—transition? adjustment? stasis?—by following primarily four themes: economic, political, religious, and cultural transitions. This course moves between Britain and its empire, considering them to be part of the same inextricable story. This course draws on a unique variety of primary source material, including forms of music, literature, theatre, and contemporary political speeches, as well as some secondary source material.
Learning Objectives
• To understand and explain important events in twentieth-century British history
• To articulate major contemporary ideas regarding work, politics, cultural life, class, and race, and how those ideas changed over a century
• To analyze different kinds of primary source material, including novels, music, theatre, and nonfiction writings • To use sources to formulate an argument about historical events, people, and themes
Evaluation Method
Attendance and participation (including possible quizzes on material): 20% Response Paper 1, Week 3: 10% Response Paper 2, Week 6: 20% Response Paper 3, Week 9: 20% Final exam: 30%
Class Notes
History Major Concentration(s): European
History Minor Concentration(s): Europe
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Registration is restricted to History Majors and Minors only until the end of pre-registration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites (if any)
Associated Classes
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