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2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST3497 Printing and Books in Early Modern Europe

20 creditsClass Size: 14

Module manager: Dr Sara Barker
Email: s.k.barker@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The development of print in Europe in the mid-fifteenth century is often seen to be one of the seismic changes in Western society. Over the early modern period, books went from being the preserve of the rich and elite institutions to items accessible to people at most levels of society. New genres emerged, and individual authors could achieve great fame – for some, it became possible to make a decent living by writing. Printed books and pamphlets became central for the exchange of ideas: print was crucial to the spread of the Reformation in the sixteenth century and to the emergence of new scientific ideas and practices in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At the same time, literacy rates grew, attitudes to education changed and more people became aware of and engaged with changing cultural and political ideas – what has been termed the ‘transformation of the public sphere’.In this module, we will examine the impact of printing and book production on early modern Europe from a number of angles. We will look at the technology and business of printing, how books were produced and sold. We will examine the material culture of the book. We will look at the kinds of books and other printed matter that was produced, and the ways people received and used these items.

Objectives

The objectives of this module are:
- To assess the impact of the development of printing on early modern European life.
- To explore contemporary reactions to the emergence of printing
- To evaluate key historiographical and methodological developments in relation to the history of printing and the book
- To critically analyse a range of primary sources, both written and visual, relating to these issues.
- To formulate sophisticated and nuanced arguments in relation to these issues, in written and verbal form.
- To further develop generic transferrable and subject specific skills.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate good awareness of how printing developed as a technology and as a business between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment
2. Demonstrate ability to think critically about the way books were produced, sold and used in early modern Europe and the impact this had on European Society
3. Evaluate carefully and critically the approaches that historians and scholars working in other disciplines have taken when exploring this period
4. Show analytical and critical skills in oral presentations
5. Show analytical skills in written work, using citations and footnotes correctly
6. Show proficiency in the use of primary sources to study early modern print history

Syllabus

Provisional Outline
1. The Birth of Printing in Europe – Guttenberg and the technology of printing
2. The growth of printing across Europe: economic, social and cultural factors
Producing books
3. The Book as a product: material culture
4. Printers and booksellers
5. Content providers: authors, editors and translators
Owning books
6. Readers and their books
7. Literacy and education
8. Libraries
Changing attitudes
9. News cultures
10. The public sphere
11. Poster Presentations

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Visit	2	2.00	4.00
Seminar	11	2.00	22.00
Private study hours			174.00
Total Contact hours			26.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will prepare for each seminar by reading texts and primary sources as specified by the Module Leader. They will also be expected to undertake further, self-directed reading for each class, and to locate suitable source materials for discussion in seminars. Students will also contribute VLE posts (10%), research and write an assessed essay (60%) and research, produce and present a group poster (30%).

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

• Contributions to class discussions
• Feedback on written work, including on poster
• Individual and group tutorials with the module leader

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	4,000 words	60.00
Poster Presentation	5 minutes	30.00
Assignment	Weekly VLE posts , 200-300 words	10.00
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: 19/09/2017

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