HISTORY 365

Ireland since 1798


Please note: this is archived course information from 2018 for HISTORY 365.

Description

Ireland’s influence is visible throughout the world, not least in the vast numbers of people who trace their ancestry back to the women and men who emigrated from Ireland between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. For many of us, names or fragments of Irish history will be familiar, whether through family stories or in popular culture: the Great Famine, the Easter Rising, Michael Collins, the IRA and Bloody Sunday. Irish music, literature and films continue to demonstrate the nation’s remarkable creativity.

But what is the history of Ireland and its peoples? How did a small nation come to experience a turbulent history marked by an extraordinary famine, a prolonged struggle for independence and civil war? And importantly, how does the Irish past fit within the broader history of modern Europe?

This course examines the history of Ireland from 1798 to the present. It investigates major developments in the social, cultural, political and economic history of the island from the United Irish Rising at the end of the eighteenth century to the early twenty-first century, including the creation of the state of Northern Ireland and ongoing attempts to secure a lasting peace there. Attention will also be paid to the vast emigration of Irish peoples across the globe, and the influence of the Irish abroad in shaping the contours of the last 200 years of Irish history.

Course objectives are to:

  • Provide an understanding of several major social, cultural, political and economic developments in Irish life from the late eighteenth century to the present
  • Investigate the way historians have shaped understandings of the Irish past, and of significant areas of debate among them
  • Reflect on the practice of history in Ireland and how it has affected society
  • Place developments in Ireland's history within a broader international perspective
  • Enhance students’ ability to discuss their ideas in a range of class discussions and written work

In line with the Bachelor of Arts Graduate Profile, expected learning outcomes include the ability for students to:

  • Assess and interpret a variety of evidence in order to construct reasoned arguments in both written and oral formats
  • Demonstrate academic integrity and considered, respectful engagement with other points of view
  • Appreciate the cultural and historical significance of the Irish past in a manner which informs discussion of current local and global issues

View the course syllabus

Availability 2018

Semester 1

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s) Professor Malcolm Campbell

Assessment

Coursework only

Points

HISTORY 365: 15 points

Prerequisites

15 points at Stage II in History and 60 points passed

Restrictions

HISTORY 265