HIST 2063 - Early Modern Europe

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2015

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are often claimed by historians to represent the transition between the medieval and modern worlds. The aim of this course is to examine this notion that the early modern era witnessed the rise of modernity. It will do so by discussing the 'key' transformations, including the Black Death, Renaissance, Reformation and Scientific Revolution, but also those aspects of the period which do not seem that modern, like the witch hunts. Through lectures, tutorials and a particular emphasis on primary documents, students will be challenged to consider just what constitutes 'modern' and 'medieval' thought and practice. Moreover, the notion of 'great events' in history and how aptly labels like 'renaissance' periodize our study of the past will be considered. In addition, through videos, art and extracts from their writings, the images, sounds and words of da Vinci, Luther, Copernicus and the witches will bring this fascinating period of history alive.

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Course Details

Course Code	HIST 2063
Course	Early Modern Europe
Coordinating Unit	Historical and Classical Studies
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of level 1 Arts courses, including 3 units in History
Assessment	Research exercise (25%), research essay (45%), class test (20%), tutorial participation (10%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Claire Walker

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

The full timetable of all activities can be accessed via the Course Planner.

Formal contact hours of:

1 x 100 minute lecture per week
1 x 50 minute tutorial per week

Course Learning Outcomes

The anticipated knowledge, skills and attitude to be developed by the student are:

1. An ability to understand the key themes in the history of early modern Europe

2. An ability to distinguish between different historical interpretations of key aspects of the history of early modern Europe

3. Enhanced skills in research, synthesis, organisation and presentation of information

4. Enhanced problem solving skills

5. Familiarisation with the research skills necessary for working with primary sources

6. An ability to work independently

7. An ability to articulate interpretations of sources and topics in class discussion

8. An ability to critically evaluate arguments

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1,2
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	3,5,8
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	4,5,6,7,8
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	7
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	3,5
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	3,4,5,6
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	3,5
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	2

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Reading lists identifying the articles and chapters that are required to be read prior to each tutorial discussion will be included in the Course Reader, purchased from Image and Copy before semester commences. (It will be also available on the subject's MyUni webpage.)

A Course Reader, containing the texts that need to be read prior to each tutorial discussion, will be available for purchase at the start of the course from the Image and Copy Centre.

Recommended Resources

There is no textbook for this course. The following two books offer useful accounts and would be useful to purchase.

Kümin, Beat, ed. The European World 1500-1800: An Introduction to Early Modern History. 2nd edn. London & New York: Routledge, 2013. [Simple introduction to people, events and topics.]

Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. [More substantive discussion of topics – useful additional tutorial reading.]

Online Learning

The course has a website, accessible through MyUni. Please consult it regularly for updates, lecture notes, additional resources.

The University has access to a number of academic journals that have full text articles available online. Use Academic OneFile , Academic Search Premier , Project Muse and JSTOR databases (on the Library’s catalogue) to locate articles in these journals.

Librarians at the Barr-Smith library have also compiled a very useful guide to sources for medieval and early modern history, particularly relating to heresy and witchcraft held by the University. This can be accessed online at:
http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/hist2063

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course will be delivered through lectures with dvd programmes inserted to add wider context to each topic covered.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The course involves 156 hours of study, including formal contact hours, private research, and completion of assessment tasks.

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Lecture Topics	Tutorial Topic
Week 1	1. War, Disease & Religious Crisis - Late Middle Ages 2. Library Resources Information Session	After the Black Death
Week 2	No Lectures (Adelaide Cup Public Holiday)	No Tutorial - Researching the Library Exercise
Week 3	1. Dawning of a New Age: Renaissance 2. James Burke, Day Universe Changed, Pt 3: ‘Renaissance’	Humanism
Week 4	1. Search for Gold and Spices: Age of Discovery 2. Small Group Discovery: The Research Challenge Begins	New Worlds and New People
Week 5	1. Birth of Science 2. James Burke, Day Universe Changed, Pt 5: ‘Infinitely Reasonable’ Rise of Modern Science	Scientific Revolution
Week 6	No Lectures (Easter Monday)	No Tutorials - Online Quiz
Week 7	1. Political Systems: The Ancien Regime 2. The Rise and Fall of Versailles, Pt 1: 'Louis XIV'	Louis XIV and Absolutism
Week 8	1. End of Christendom: Religious Change 2. Sorts of People: Men, Women & Children	The Reformation of Society: Theology & Morality
Week 9	1. Film: Return of Martin Guerre 2. Film: Return of Martin Guerre	Identity & Community in Early Modern France: Martin Guerre
Week 10	1. Descent in Chaos & Persecution 2. The Devil: Unauthorised Biography, Pt 2: ‘Hell on Earth’	The Witch Hunts
Week 11	1. Conclusion: Enlightenment, Reason and Modernity 2. Preparing for the Class Test	Class Debate: 1349-1789 – Rise of the Modern World?
Week 12	Class Test	No Tutorials.

Please note that this is an example of the topics covered each week in lectures and tutorials. While the topics will remain the same, there may be some minor amendments to the order of lectures, depending upon staff availability. Students will be given the final lecture and tutorial outline by the beginning of semester on MyUni.

Specific Course Requirements

N/A

Small Group Discovery Experience

The weekly tutorials involve several small group activities in which students will be given problems to address which relate to the themes covered in the lectures and in the course overall.

Students will also work in groups on their 'research challenge' which involves locating a document or object related to the topics covered in the course, which will be presented to the rest of the course via tutorial presentations and MyUni.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Due	LearningOutcome
Library Exercise	Formative & Summative	First half semester	3, 5
Quiz	Summative	First half semester	1, 2
Essay	Formative and Summative	Second half semester	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Test	Summative	End of semester	1, 2, 5, 8
Tutorial Participation	Formative and Summative	Weekly	2, 3, 5, 7, 8

The precise deadlines for the submission of assessment tasks (library exercise, quiz and essay) will be given to students at the commencement of semester, and will be available on the course's MyUni site.

Assessment Related Requirements

N/A

Assessment Detail

1. Library Exercise
In an early lecture, Margaret Hosking from the Barr Smith Library will introduce you to the information resources relevant to this course. This lecture will enable you to locate additional material for your major essay, as well as broadening your research knowledge and skills. The Library Exercise (download from MyUni) will ask you to identify and access different resource materials, which relate specifically to your research essay. It will serve to familiarize you with the Library’s wide range of printed and electronic sources which cover European History, 1450-1789, as well as providing a useful entrée into the research for your essay.

2. Quiz
Roughly halfway through the semester, you will complete an online quiz, accessed via MyUni, which will test your overall knowledge of the concepts, events, people and places we have encountered thus far during the semester in both lectures and tutorials. It will contain 20 questions and you will have 25 minutes to complete it.

3. Research Essay
Students are required to write one 2,500 word research essay, based on both primary and secondary sources. Your essay question is located under the tutorial discussion questions for your chosen week. You will need to critically engage with the historiography related to the topic, and vigorously construct an argument with reference to primary and secondary source evidence. Evaluate the sources you use and present your own opinion. Assessment will be based upon your research skills, your interpretation, and the way you argue your case. The essay is is to be submitted electronically.

4. End of Semester Class Test
There will also be a 60-minute class test held in the final lecture. Students will be required to write four short answers (each worth five marks) of about a page in length, chosen from a pool of questions. These questions will be based upon the tutorial topics. You will not be permitted to write a short answer on the topic you covered in your course work essay.

5. Tutorial Participation
Participation in tutorial discussions constitutes 10% of your final mark. In order to gain those marks you must attend tutorials regularly, demonstrate adequate preparation and be willing to contribute to the discussion in small groups, larger class discussions and debates. This mark also reflects your group's successful completion of your research challenge and presentation of your findings to the class.

Submission

Submission of Assessment Items
Students will submit their assignments on-line to MyUni. Instructions about how to do this will be given to students at the beginning of semester.

Extensions
Extensions will be given on the grounds of hardship or illness. If, as often happens, several essays are due close to each other, you should plan your schedule so that you complete one or more before the deadline.

The procedure for applying for an extension varies, according to the length of extra time required. Tutors can grant you an additional day or two, if they consider you have good reason for this additional time. But, if you require longer, you will need to submit the relevant form available at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html to the school office at least 5 days prior to the due date for the assignment.

Exceptions to the Policy
If one of the following criteria is met, an informal extension can be organised with the course coordinator or tutor:
• small extension – 2 days or less;
• assessment item is worth 20% or less;
• student is registered with the Disability Office (need to attach a Disability Access Plan – DAP).

Late Penalties
Students who submit an essay late, without having gained an extension, will be liable to a penalty of 2 marks per day that the essay is overdue, including weekends, for a maximum of two weeks. Unless special arrangements have been made, essays more than two weeks late, may not be accepted, and will automatically be eligible for a pass or fail grade only.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

See submission detail above.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator