HIST 2078 - Britain 1700-1830: Power, Sex and Money

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2014

The eighteenth century witnessed the birth of many of the events and ideas associated with modernity such as individual liberty and human rights, freedom of the press, capitalism and consumerism and the Industrial Revolution. This course will consider the significance of such challenges to the old European order and the ramifications for both the lives of those who lived through them and for historical study. In lectures, tutorials and workshops we will explore the world in which these challenges occurred through the lenses of power, sex and money.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code HIST 2078
    Course Britain 1700-1830: Power, Sex and Money
    Coordinating Unit Historical and Classical Studies
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Prerequisites 12 units of level I study
    Course Description The eighteenth century witnessed the birth of many of the events and ideas associated with modernity such as individual liberty and human rights, freedom of the press, capitalism and consumerism and the Industrial Revolution. This course will consider the significance of such challenges to the old European order and the ramifications for both the lives of those who lived through them and for historical study. In lectures, tutorials and workshops we will explore the world in which these challenges occurred through the lenses of power, sex and money.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Katie Barclay

    Katie Barclay
    Napier 307
    katie.barclay@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

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

    Each week there will be a lecture (1 hour), a workshop (1 hour) and a tutorial (1 hour). The lecturer will also have regular office hours, the times of which will be announced at the beginning of the course.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    Upon completion of this course students will have an:
    1 Understanding of a broad body of historical knowledge on Georgian Britain.
    2 Understanding of the processes change and continuity over time in relation to modernity.
    3 Ability to identify and access a wide variety of relevant primary, secondary, textual and visual materials.
    4 Ability to contextualise, synthesize and critically evaluate historical sources.
    5 Ability to evaluate and generate ideas and to construct evidence-based
    arguments in both essay and oral form in a planned and time manner.
    6 Show how history and historians shape the present and the future.
    7 Ability to communicate effectively within the discipline of history and related professional contexts.
    8 Commitment to an academically rigorous approach to learning, including intellectual honesty and respect.
    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, 4
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 5, 6
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 7
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 3, 7
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 8
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 9
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    a) A course reader is required for this course and can be purchased from the Image and Copy Centre. It contains the texts which must be read before each tutorial and some additional background reading.

    b) No text book is required.

    c) Resources for the course are also available in the form of recorded lectures on the Myuni web pages. Students who miss a lecture must view the recorded lecture.
    Recommended Resources
    a) A recommended reading list with extended readings forms part of the course reader.

    b) A guide to writing history essays is provided by the discipline at: http://www.hss.adelaide.edu.au/historypolitics/pdfs/2010/hist_guide_to_essay_writing.pdf
    Online Learning
    a) Please consult the Myuni pages for this course regularly for updates and additional resources.
    Information about this course, including this course profile, can be found on Myuni at: https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/webapps/login/ The Myuni pages for the course also include links to very useful websites and will be used for e-submission of assignments.

    b) The university has access to databases of scholarly journals directly related to this course and has a rich collection of British history books so students will have no trouble locating sources upon which to base a research project or essay. It also has a number of databases for primary sources. Please consult the library’s history databases at: http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/content.php?pid=198704&sid=1661948

    c) A number of the primary resources students will use in their coursework can be found online, including:
    London Lives, http://www.londonlives.org/
    Old Bailey Online, http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
    National Library of Scotland, http://digital.nls.uk/broadsides/index.html
    Google Books: http://books.google.com/
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures: There will be a one-hour lecture each week (two in week one), providing students with an overview of the major debates in the historiography, as well as key pieces of information or nuances that are essential to their understanding of the topic. The purpose of lectures is to provide a synthesis of the field to provide a context for their personal reading on the topic and to help draw their attention to complexities within the debates in the field that will aid them to articulate different viewpoints and debate during tutorial discussions. Learning during lectures will be encouraged through providing break points where students can ask questions, as well as the use of appropriate multimedia learning aids.

    Workshops: Immediately following the weekly lecture (apart from week 1) will be a large-group workshop that will introduce students to a particular source or methodology used by eighteenth-century historians, and allow discussion of the implications for how we create history. This will involve a demonstration portion, due to the large class size, but also interactive activities, such as group work, question and answer sessions, and opportunities (where possible) to try out new approaches to explore how they work. Through what is learned in workshops, students shall be prepared to complete the research task portion of the assessment

    Tutorials: Students will participate in a small group tutorial once a week. Tutorials operate on the principle that exploring new ideas with peers, and particularly having to articulate new knowledge, consolidates learning and allows students to develop their thoughts through appropriate discussion and debate. Tutorials will allow students to test their understanding of their reading and what they have learned from lectures. Discussion and debate will be encouraged, and learning appropriately directed, through the provision of appropriate discussion questions, as well as resources (such as primary sources). Tutorials will help prepare students for the essay writing part of the assessment through giving them an opportunity to explore their ideas and practice argumentation.
    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 time commitment for this course is a standard minimum of 156 hours over the course of the semester. This comprises formal contact time: lectures, tutorials and workshops and individual study, research, reading and writing time. 

    14 hours of lectures over weeks 1 to 12
    (1 x1 hour in weeks 2-12 and 2 hours in week 1 and 12)
    14 hours
    9 hours of workshops over weeks 2 to 11
    (1 x 1 hour in weeks 2 to 11, excluding week 5)
    9 hours
    1 x 1 hour class test in week 5 1 hour
    1 x 1 hour of tutorials over weeks 1 to 12 12 hours
    1 x 3 hours of preparing for examination over weeks 1 to 4 12 hours
    1 x 3 hours of research per week 36 hours
    1 x 3 hours of assignment preparation each week 36 hours
    1 x 3 hours of prescribed reading per week 36 hours
    Total 156 hours

    Thus, it is expected that students will spend three contact hours on the course and a minimum of seven hours in individual study per week. In general, your weekly workload includes attendance at two lectures/workshops and one tutorial per week, carrying out the weekly readings, otherwise preparing to participate in your tutorials, working on your assessment tasks, and general reading on the subject area.

    Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to check the assessment tasks and organise their time effectively over the course of the semester.
    Learning Activities Summary
    WEEK LECTURE (L) /WORKSHOP (W) TUTORIAL
    1 L. Modernity and Georgian Britain: an Introduction
    L. Structures of Power: Monarchy, Church and State
    Practicalities and What is Power in Georgian Britain?
    2 L. The Rise of the Public Sphere: New Forms of Power?
    W. Private and Public: Architecture as a Source
    Places and Spaces of Politics and Power
    3 L. Chapbooks and Newspaper: The Power of Print
    W. Introduction to the Digital Humanities: ECCO and GALE
    Distributing the News
    4 L. Radical Politics: Sex, Sedition and Power
    W. Crime and Punishment: Old Bailey Online
    Law and Order in Georgian Britain
    5
    CLASS TEST
    CLASS TEST
    L. A Modern Economy: Finance, Commerce and Industry
    Lives of the Poor in Georgian Britain
    6 L. New Money: the Rise of the Middle-Class
    W. Material Culture as a Source: Household Goods
    Urbanisation and Social Class
    7 L. Purchasing Power: Fashion, Celebrity and Consumer Goods
    W. Material Culture as a Source: Fashion
    Sources and Methods: How Historians Write History
    8 L. The ‘Affective’ Family
    W. Portraiture as a Source
    Power in Family Life
    SEMESTER BREAK
    9
    SOURCE AND
    METHODOLOGY
    ESSAY DUE 10th OCTOBER
    L. Sex, Morality and Pornography
    W. Satirical Print as a Source
    Church and Society
    10 L. Sexual Scandals, Prostitution and Sexual Identity
    W. The Rise of the Novel
    Sexuality in Eighteenth-Century Britain
    11 L. Individualism and the Creation of Self
    L. Essay Writing Guidance
    Britishness and Identity
    12
    FINAL ESSAY DUE
    W. Autobiography as a Source
    L. Modernity and Georgian Britain: Some Conclusions
    Modernity: a useful narrative?
    Specific Course Requirements
    Not Applicable.
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Tutorials will allow for small-group discovery and discussion.
  • Assessment

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

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

    Assessment Summary
    Task Type Task Learning Objectives
    Formative and Summative Tutorial attendance and participation 1, 2, 5, 7
    Formative 5-min Presentation 1, 2, 5, 7
    Formative and Summative Class Test 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
    Summative Source and Methodology Essay 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
    Summative Historiographical Essay 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
    Assessment Related Requirements
    a) Participation in tutorials is compulsory and students must attend at least 80% of them to pass the course. If you cannot attend your tutorial, please let your tutor know in advance – it might be possible to ‘make-up’ the class at another time later in the week. If you miss a tutorial, it may be possible to attend another tutorial that week or to provide extra written responses to the week’s discussion questions.

    b) Five minute talk - see below for details.
    Assessment Detail
    1) Assessment: Tutorial attendance, presentation & participation

    Rationale: Tutorials provide a key opportunity for students to demonstrate and consolidate their learning on Georgian Britain, and rely on students fully participating and working together towards small-group discovery. Attendance is compulsory but 10% of their grade is provided here to encourage them to prepare for class each week and fully participate, which in turn ensures that each member contributes equally towards their shared group learning experience.

    2) Assessment: Five minute talk

    Rationale: Once during the semester, each student will have to prepare and present a five minute talk to the seminar group on that week’s topic. The presentation is compulsory but does not count towards the final grade. It provides students an opportunity to develop presentation skills, and to demonstrate and consolidate their knowledge of the topic through testing their ideas on their peers. They will also receive formative feedback in oral form from their tutor during class. Students will be encouraged to select a topic related to their final historiographical essay to provide them with formative feedback on that topic.

    3) Assessment: Class Test

    Rationale: There will be a 1 hr class test in week 5. Students will be required to answer two questions. The questions will be based on the material covered in lectures and tutorials up until that point. This will allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of the historiographical debates on this topic, to practice forming an argument and developing their skills at essay writing in exam conditions. Feedback from this exam will provide students with guidance on their successful attainment of knowledge of the topic and on structuring essays. 

    3) Assessment: Source and Methodology Essay

    Rationale: In this essay, students will describe and then analyse a particular group of sources and related methodological approach used by historians of Georgian Britain – either from those taught during workshops or from their independent reading. They will assess how their chosen sources and the uses they were put to shaped the type of history that is written and the benefits and limitations of this approach. Through this review, students will have the opportunity to reflect on the way that sources and methodology shape the type of history that is written, providing them with a deeper understanding of the nature of historical practice. In addition, they will be able to develop their analysis and argumentation skills through assessing the value of the approach they have chosen and their writing skills in producing a written report. Learning will be reinforced through feedback on the assessment.

    4) Assessment: Historiographical Essay

    Rationale: Through their research essay, students will demonstrate their understanding of the historiographical literature and debates in the field, their ability to assess their reading critically and to create and support an argument with evidence from their reading. It will also provide them with the opportunity to further practice their writing and referencing skills. Students will be able to develop their own essay question, but it will be expected that their essay reflects on the nature of change in Georgian Britain and draw on the material learned in lectures and directed reading.
    Submission
    All assignments are to be submitted electronically via MyUni—this is a two-step process.

    1) The assignment needs to be electronically submitted for marking via the ‘Assignments’ link in the course menu.
    2) It then needs to be submitted separately to Turnitin, which is also done via the MyUni site.

    It is also vital that you complete the details concerning the name of your tutor and tutorial
    time, AND, where appropriate, provide the essay question number and topic you are answering. We require this information to pass your assignment on to the relevant marker.

    Assignments are due by midnight ending the date of submission.

    Extensions
    Extensions will be given on the grounds of hardship or illness at the discretion of the course coordinator or, for short extensions, tutor. 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. Your tutor can grant you up to an additional two days, if they consider you have
    good reason for this additional time. But, if you require longer, you will need to complete
    the following form, and submit it to the School of History and Politics office (Level 4, Napier
    Building). Link for forms (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html)

    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.

    Feedback
    Coursework and appropriate feedback will be available for collection by students after a fortnight. Coursework and feedback can be collected from tutors during office hours.
    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.

    Grade descriptors for the School of History and Politics can be found here: http://www.hss.adelaide.edu.au/historypolitics/pdfs/2010/generic_grade_descriptors_pdf.pdf

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

  • 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.

    The School of History and Politics is committed to upholding the  University's Policy on Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S). All  staff and students have a legal responsibility to act in the interests  of themselves and others with respect to OH&S. For information on the School's contingency plan and emergency procedures, please see the OH&S section on the school website:

    http://www.hss.adelaide.edu.au/historypolitics/ohs
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