2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST2291 20th Century Britain: Progress and Uncertainty 1945-1990

20 creditsClass Size: 45

Module manager: Dr Iker Itoiz Ciaurriz
Email: I.ItoizCiaurriz@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This course examines the strategies pursued by governments to sustain Britain's position in world politics and to achieve economic growth and social welfare at home. It considers the costs and benefits of the transatlantic alliance, the challenge of nationalism to British power and the ambivalent attitudes towards developments in Europe. The struggle between the major political parties and their ideologies is discussed, as is the impact of key social developments: the impact of inflation, racial conflict and the aspirations of women.

Objectives

Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of this module students should be able to:
- understand the factors shaping British foreign policy after 1945;
- examine governing strategies to meet problems in the economy and society;
- analyse turning points in the fortunes of political parties;
- access the changes in social experiences since 1945.

Skills outcomes
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.

Syllabus

This module examines the strategies pursued by governments to sustain Britain's position in world politics and to achieve economic growth and social welfare at home. It considers the costs and benefits of the transatlantic alliance, the challenge of nationalism to British power and the ambivalent attitudes towards developments in Europe, which all figure largely in foreign policy. The struggle between the major political parties and their ideologies is discussed, as is the impact of some key social developments: the impact of inflation, racial conflict and the aspirations of women.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Tutorial	9	1.00	9.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Exam preparation; researching, preparing, and writing assignments; undertaking set reading; and self-directed reading around the topic. 180 hours.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

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

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Literature Review	3x750-word literature analyses	50.00
Essay	2500-word essay	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

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: 18/10/2024

Disclaimer

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