2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST3680 The French Revolution

40 creditsClass Size: 16

Module manager: Dr S F Burrows
Email: s.f.burrows@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2008/09

This module is not approved as an Elective

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- identify and critically evaluate the main debates and schools of historiographical thought concerning the French revolution from its origins to 1795;
- outline the main developments of the period 1789-1795 inside France;
- interpret the key secondary and primary sources on the origins, course and consequences of the Revolution in France.

Skills outcomes
Further enhances Common Skills listed below:

High-level skills in oral and written communication of complex ideas.
Independence of mind and self-discipline and self-direction to work effectively under own initiative.
Ability to locate, handle and synthesize large amounts of information.
Capacity to employ analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to engage constructively with the ideas of their peers, tutors and published sources.
Empathy and active engagement with alternative cultural contexts.
Plus:
Skills in interpretation and analysis of complex documentary-based material.

Syllabus

This special subject investigates the origins, development and significance of the French revolution. It places special emphasis on revisionist and post-revisionist scholarship, considering both high politics and wider revolutionary political culture. The first part of the course covers the revolution of 1789 and its origins; the second part the continuing revolution from 1789 to 1795. Major topics include: the historiography of the French Revolution; ancien regime society; the language and politics of absolutism; enlightenment and public opinion; the pre-revolutionary crisis; the election campaign of 1789; revolutionary violence; citizenship, sovereignty and rights; the revolutionary public sphere; Church and State; the Republican revolution; war and civil war; the popular movement and the Terror; dechristianisation; Thermidor.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	22	2.00	44.00
Private study hours			356.00
Total Contact hours			44.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			400.00

Private study

Exam preparation; researching, preparing, and writing assignments; undertaking set reading; and self-directed reading around the topic.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Contributions to class discussions, two assessed exercises, an exercise or exercises worth 10% of module marks.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Online Assessment	Format to be determined by tutor	10.00
Essay	3,000 word written exercise or equivalent to be submitted by 12noon on Friday of the second week of the January examination period.	20.00
Essay	3,000 word written exercise or equivalent to be submitted by 12noon on Monday of the May revision week.	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	3 hr	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 29/04/2009

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