AHIS 13A00 - History - 19th Century

This first-year course examines the birth of political modernity in the nineteenth century. Students are encouraged to consider the origins, successive reconfigurations and limitations of modern political society. The course surveys the main landmarks of this transformation in Europe and its imperial worlds, from the democratic revolutions of the late eighteenth century until the advent of mass politics in the early twentieth century. Major topics include the rise of new ideologies, such as – among others – liberalism, conservatism and socialism; changing and novel patterns of engagement, based on violence (wars, revolutionary insurrections) or persuasion (emergence of a civil society, electoral contests); and the reorganisation of large political organizations, from the construction of nation-states to the persistence and possibly the extension of empires. Special attention is paid to the claims of women and their role in politics and society, in Europe and more broadly. In order to facilitate learning and highlight the significance of political modernity, these changes are considered within a broader historical framework. The latter includes economic and environmental change, the transformations of urban and rural societies, the emergence of new intellectual and cultural sensitivities, and the status of the individual within society. Throughout the twelve sessions, the course questions Eurocentric accounts of the nineteenth century, and it discusses the processes of political modernisation and their limits on other continents. The angle of this global lens varies according to the geographic focus of each campus and/or programme.

The grades obtained in the lecture (final exam) and in the methodology class (continuous assessment) are combined to calculate the overall mark for the course, with the following weighting: continuous assessment grade: 50%; final assessment grade: 50%.

At the start of the semester, each course instructor will outline the assessment procedures for continuous assessment. A 4-hour midterm exam, which will be identical in format to the final exam, accounts for 40 per cent of the continuous assessment grade.