Students will receive an introduction to the course aims, structure and methods of evaluation. We will also try to work out what ‘history’ means in a university setting: what’s the nature of historical knowledge and how can we contribute to it?

The Renaissance is explored based on our study of the assigned podcast. We look at the wider European world, particularly the development of overseas Empire and the rise of the Ottoman presence in the East.

We explore why Europe became split into Catholic and Protestant blocs. We will also look at society, in particular the phenomenon of peasant uprising. How did religious radicalism spill over into social, economic and political radicalism – and how did people decide what could and could not be challenged?

This session is devoted to discussing the era of religious wars which rocked Europe from the later sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth centuries. We try to comprehend Calvinism and the nature of the Catholic response: Catholic Reformation or Counter-Reformation?

The unit looks at the rise of the absolutist state in much of Europe including Russia, contrasting this form of polity with the liberal constitutions of Poland-Lithuania, the Dutch Republic and Britain. The intellectual revolution known as the Enlightenment is introduced.

60-minute exam. See assignment description for more details.

This module looks at how a political reform movement in France turned that country into idealistic and bloody turmoil, and before long influenced the rest of the continent with passionate ideas of liberalism, nationalism, socialism and conservatism. In the discussion section, we look at a case study of an absolutist ruler, and consider the surprising and impactful life of Frederick the Great of Prussia.

We explore the second great revolutionary process in modern European history, with a particular emphasis on the political and social impacts – most importantly the advent of class politics. We then consider the question of why the French Revolution did so little for women’s rights. Listen to the podcast as part of your preparation.

The unit examines the 19th century in the context of the struggle between progressive/revolutionary and conservative/reactionary forces and social groups. The central, dramatic focus of attention is the 1848 ‘spring of nations’. We will also consider the strange hybrid of authoritarianism (including so-called patriarchy) and liberalism that characterized European states in the second half of the 19th century. In the seminar, we review Merriman’s discussion of the impact of the Industrial Revolution.

60-minute exam. Details under 'Assignments'

Lecture: We will chart the descent of Europe into total war, and consider why the First World War took the catastrophic course it did.

We begin by looking at Merriman’s chapter and consider the question of German responsibility for World War I. Then we turn to era of World War II, surveying the causes, course and consequences of the most devastating conflict in human history, including a consideration of the Holocaust and the morality of Allied victory.

Lecture Session: The Cold War was the single greatest fact of life in Europe after World War II. This session looks at the establishment of Communist regimes and on contrasting conditions between East and West Europe. Yet we should not be blind to some commonalities between both sides of the Iron Curtain, such as youth movements and a culture of protest and dissent. Eventually, dissent helped to bring down Communist rule in the East.

A final session will explore the major themes addressed in the course, and suggest ways of approaching contemporary European history. After the break we will have the final exam – bring pens!