This course is designed to explore the workings of gender in the lives and perceptions of early modern men and women. It does so through analysis of the patriarchal foundations of early modern life (which largely privileged men above women and certain men above others) and exploration of the ways in which patriarchal ideology and relations of power were upheld, resisted or circumvented by men and women. Spanning the period from c.1500 to c.1800, the course combines social, cultural, political and economic history. The geographical coverage includes Britain and the Atlantic World in order to enable a broadly comparative and thematic approach.

15x1 hr lectures and 5x1 hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled in MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in History and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available in MyCampus.

None

None

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Oral assessment: video explainer (10 minutes) - 10% 

■ Written assignment - source analysis (2,500 words) - 50% 

■ Written assignment - essay (2,000 words) - 40% 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ Written script of equivalent wordcount as alternative to the video explainer. 

■ There are no alternatives to the written assignments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course aims to:

■ Develop students' intellectual interests and analytical skills.

■ Offer the opportunity to study a range of methodological approaches, chronological periods and geographical areas by offering a wide and flexible choice of options

■ Introduce complex historical debates and interpretations, to develop skills in interpreting primary sources where appropriate, and to inform these discussions with new ideas derived from current research

■ Encourage the development of transferable skills by fostering individual initiative, personal choice, and group discussion and, where appropriate, problem-solving team work.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Display an awareness of the patriarchal ideology informing notions of gender difference in early modern Europe and assess critically the extent to which this shaped the relative agency of men and women in a variety of contexts

■ Apply gender theory to the study of early modern European history

■ Analyse and interpret a variety of sources (both primary and secondary), particularly in a comparative framework

■ Evaluate historiographical debates relevant to this course and communicate clearly for a variety of audiences in oral and written arguments