Course Modules

This module assesses the extent to which an ‘absolutist’ monarchy was established in France in the 17th century. You will consider various historiographical perspectives of the French monarchy, with a focus on the social and cultural contexts of the period […]

This module examines the roots and consequences of the French Revolution, as well the major historiographical debates that continue through to today. You will gain a clear understanding of the political, social and economic context of the revolution’s origins, the

This module examines the emerging commercial cultures of Early Modern England. Using primary sources of wills, business accounts, personal letters and diaries, you will consider the changing attitudes to business and consumption of the period and how they laid the

This module will explore the relationship between reader and author as an emerging area of contemplation for writers of the 20th century. You will explore the ethics of literature as you study a number of controversial novels, several of which

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the exciting range of women’s prose writing in the late 18th century, as you consider the relationship between such writing and the political debates of the period. You will discover

This module explores the notion of unconscious desire and the expression of these desires in literature and culture. You will trace the emergence of the ideas of psychoanalysis in the work of Freud and how various psychoanalytic thinkers have transformed

This module focuses on how public histories have been rewritten in Britain over the past three decades, through the interventions of state, media, and voluntary sector institutions. By studying these forms of investigations, you will learn about how private traumas

This module examines the development of art, knowledge, taste, fashion and beliefs in Europe from c.1250-1650 as you consider the importance of intellectual history, cultural history, science and art as key aspects of European culture. You will pay close attention

This module offers a thematic and contextual survey of late-medieval England. It commences by problematising ‘The Middle Ages’, focusing on historiography, myth, public perception, and the constructed nature of historical periodisation. The focus is on England, but material from elsewhere

By looking at a variety of case studies from across Europe throughout the first half of the 20th century, we will discuss the way in which fascism was both embraced and fought against. In addition, by using literary and cultural