• Class code: V1102
• Level: 1
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: lectures, seminars, tutorials

Class descriptor

The aim of this class is to introduce students to the discipline of history by means of a survey of Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Students may proceed to History 1B, held in semester two, which examines twentieth century topics. The modules are designed to offer an introduction to history for newcomers, whilst broadening the perspectives of students with a grounding in history.

This Semester 1 module focuses on the History of Britain from 1700 to 1900, a period of phenomenal change in terms of who ruled the country, the main economic activities, emerging cultural expression and attitudes, and the growth of British power overseas on an unprecedented scale. It will also use Britain as a historical 'laboratory' to discuss key themes that have shaped the modern world. It will examine the formation of the British state, the ideas that were shaped by the Enlightenment, in which Scottish writers played an important part, and ask why Britain industrialised and Ireland did not. It will also look at the often dire social consequences of industrialisation and ask how and why Britain created the Empire.

The growth of British overseas trade will be looked at. For example, we will ask why Britain dominated the slave trade in the 18th century and why it was abolished, despite its profitability, and consider the new ways in which Britain exerted economic and military power around the world in the 19th century, and the Scottish role in that process.

The module will also examine the impact of Britain on Asian, African and American societies, and vice-versa, and the ideological effects of the American War of Independence, the French Revolution and the 1798 rebellion in Ireland.

The module will look at the meaning of Victorian values in Britain and the development of modern political parties and the growth of democracy.

The roles of gender and class in shaping modern British and Irish society will also be charted. This module will enable students to understand the origins of both modern British society and the beginnings of an increasingly integrated global community. In the tutorials, each meeting will involve the examination of a key document or two, as well as a discussion of that week's topic.

• Class code: V1213
• Level: 2
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September-December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This module provides a broad introduction to the historical relationship between diseases and human societies in the early modern and modern periods. It examines the core thesis that diseases and other health conditions have had dramatic impacts on history, shaping economic relations, political and social structures and cultural and religious beliefs. However, it also explores the reverse of this, the thesis that human activities, ideas and behaviours have radically altered the diseases and conditions that afflict our societies over the last 500 years. The course is grouped around 3 themes, infectious disease, chronic disease, and society’s responses to disease. Lectures in the first two sections focus on exploring the origins of key diseases/debilities, the ways in which social structures/behaviours have caused or abetted these conditions, and their impacts on society, economics, politics and culture. In the final section, lectures focus more on the ways in which societies have sought to conceptualise, control and cure diseases. The key questions that students should be able to answer by the end are how have diseases and debilities shaped human societies, and how have human societies shaped diseases and debilities?

• Class code: V1217
• Level: 2
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September-December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This module examines some of the principal developments in international history of twentieth century Europe. It pays particular attention to the causes of the First World War; the impact of the war upon the international system; the rise of new powers within the international community after 1919; the causes of the Second World War; the Cold War and the forces driving European integration since 1945. Due attention is also paid to the role of the USA and USSR in recent European history. In terms of geographical coverage, the module will seek to balance consideration of Europe wide developments with finer-focus treatment of French, Italian, Russian, and German history. The module will introduce students to some of the main debates in the academic literature and encourage them to look at a range of relevant primary sources.

• Class code: V1236
• Level: 2
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September-December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This module provides an introduction to Glasgow’s history, culture and identity from its origins to the present day. Strathclyde University, itself a product of the eighteenth-century Scottish Enlightenment, is located in what was the heart of the medieval city. History, quite literally, is all around the campus. The history and development of the city will be examined alongside representations of the city (including literature and architecture, for example). Glasgow is also a UNESCO City of Music. Students will have the opportunity to undertake self-guided visits and tours to different locations in the city as part of their personal learning experience and engagement with a vibrant city. An interdisciplinary and international perspective will be adopted throughout the course. Glasgow will serve as a lens through which students will be exposed to the various factors (politics, religion, geography, immigration, health, culture, science and technology) that impact upon a place and how it is perceived by the world.

• Class code: V1349
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This is a social history class on everyday life and the Troubles in the north of Ireland. Much of the historiography of the war in Northern Ireland has focused on the dynamics of the conflict and on the political manoeuvring that orbited those dynamics. This module takes a different tack to consider everyday life during the Troubles, and in particular the way in which people from the north of Ireland intervened in everyday life in both mundane and spectacular ways. Drawing on various case studies (housing protests and the emergence of social housing; the feminist movement; the punk scene; gay and lesbian activism; prisons and imprisonment), students will engage with oral histories, documentaries, novels and other primary sources to consider how these movements emerged from and related to the war. In doing so, they will become aware of the global dimensions of a conflict sometimes misunderstood as atavistic or anachronistic, the connections between Irish and British social history, and the issues around 'dealing with the past' in contemporary NI.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1320
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The study of war has, until recently, tended to focus upon leaders, combatants and military strategies. This course, however, will analyse the experience of civilians on the Home Front, using World War Two Britain as a case study. An exploration of the cultural representations of non-combatant roles in war will be central to this course and we will engage with the historical debate about the relationship between war and social change. It will take a thematic approach and aims to make you familiar with both events and themes in the history of the Home Front; to introduce you to historical debates such as the myth of the Blitz and the extent of women’s involvement; to encourage you to develop your own opinion substantiated with historical evidence, which you can communicate both verbally and in writing; and to enable you to develop your interests in particular aspects. Content includes: the Blitz spirit; the threat of invasion; the experiences of men, women, children and minority groups; cultural representations of the home front in film; sex and sexuality; national identity & citizenship; the relationship between war and social change. 

• Class code: V1379
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study, Placement

Class descriptor

This class offers third year students the opportunity to spend eight weeks on a placement of their choice where their wider historical knowledge and set of skills can be applied; placements can range from museums, libraries, archives, historical associations to schools, charities, community organisations, healthcare providers, local authorities, etc. This module aims to provide students with an insight into the day-to-day workings of an organisation, in order to develop history-specific vocational skills and promote reflection on employability as well as the issues involved in disseminating history outside academia. This class aims to help students develop and consolidate an understanding of the specific research and personal skills gained through the study of History at undergraduate level and their application in a wider work context. As such, this class is designed to help students transition from university into employment and to contribute to the development of Strathclyde History graduate employability defined as : ‘a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes - that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.’

• Class code: V1350
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This module examines the maritime dimensions of the Atlantic world in the early modern period, moving away from the dominant landed view of empire to delve into the seascapes that underpinned and shaped the development of Atlantic empires and the modern world more generally. Focusing on maritime activities and possessions throughout the Atlantic Ocean, including Europe, West Africa, and the Americas, students will investigate how the ocean was more than a passive highway for the movement of diverse goods, peoples, and ideas but was also as an active force in that history, which shaped where, when, and how such movement occurred. Beginning with the key concepts surrounding early modern oceanic navigation through focus on sixteenth-century transatlantic voyages originating in Europe, students will explore the development of the law of sea, the maritime dimensions of the transatlantic slave trade, maritime trade and warfare, and various licit and illicit maritime activities including piracy, whaling, and smuggling. Students will also study the social and cultural world of diverse seafarers, their families, and their communities. While focused on mariners and vessels voyaging throughout transatlantic spaces that connected Atlantic empires, including the British, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Spanish empires, the course will emphasise that this was not an exclusively Euro-centric zone but was instead a multicultural space where racialised and class-based hierarchies imagined on land and in law did not always translate into realities at sea. Throughout, the class will draw on a wide selection of primary source material, both textual and visual including maps, legal transcripts, merchant letters, literature, travel narratives, scientific treatises, and naval logs.

• Class code: V1394
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This class explores how mental illness has been explained, treated and experienced, from ancient times to the present, particularly in western cultures. Mental illness has been and continues to be one of the most controversial areas of health and medicine and one of the goals of this module is to examine why this has been the case. Students will investigate not only how thinking about mental illness has changed over time, but also the many cultural, economic. technological and political factors that have influenced notions about mental health and psychiatry. Students will engage with, and think critically about, primary sources ranging from popular literature and film to newspaper articles and medical studies, in addition to relevant secondary source material.

• Class code: V1713
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This is a social history class on everyday life and the Troubles in the north of Ireland. Much of the historiography of the war in Northern Ireland has focused on the dynamics of the conflict and on the political manoeuvring that orbited those dynamics. This module takes a different tack to consider everyday life during the Troubles, and in particular the way in which people from the north of Ireland intervened in everyday life in both mundane and spectacular ways. Drawing on various case studies (housing protests and the emergence of social housing; the feminist movement; the punk scene; gay and lesbian activism; prisons and imprisonment), students will engage with oral histories, documentaries, novels and other primary sources to consider how these movements emerged from and related to the war. In doing so, they will become aware of the global dimensions of a conflict sometimes misunderstood as atavistic or anachronistic, the connections between Irish and British social history, and the issues around 'dealing with the past' in contemporary NI.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1407
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The study of war has, until recently, tended to focus upon leaders, combatants and military strategies. This course, however, will analyse the experience of civilians on the Home Front, using World War Two Britain as a case study. An exploration of the cultural representations of non-combatant roles in war will be central to this course and we will engage with the historical debate about the relationship between war and social change. It will take a thematic approach and aims to make you familiar with both events and themes in the history of the Home Front; to introduce you to historical debates such as the myth of the Blitz and the extent of women’s involvement; to encourage you to develop your own opinion substantiated with historical evidence, which you can communicate both verbally and in writing; and to enable you to develop your interests in particular aspects. Content includes: the Blitz spirit; the threat of invasion; the experiences of men, women, children and minority groups; cultural representations of the home front in film; sex and sexuality; national identity & citizenship; the relationship between war and social change. 

• Class code: V1728
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This module examines the maritime dimensions of the Atlantic world in the early modern period, moving away from the dominant landed view of empire to delve into the seascapes that underpinned and shaped the development of Atlantic empires and the modern world more generally. Focusing on maritime activities and possessions throughout the Atlantic Ocean, including Europe, West Africa, and the Americas, students will investigate how the ocean was more than a passive highway for the movement of diverse goods, peoples, and ideas but was also as an active force in that history, which shaped where, when, and how such movement occurred. Beginning with the key concepts surrounding early modern oceanic navigation through focus on sixteenth-century transatlantic voyages originating in Europe, students will explore the development of the law of sea, the maritime dimensions of the transatlantic slave trade, maritime trade and warfare, and various licit and illicit maritime activities including piracy, whaling, and smuggling. Students will also study the social and cultural world of diverse seafarers, their families, and their communities. While focused on mariners and vessels voyaging throughout transatlantic spaces that connected Atlantic empires, including the British, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Spanish empires, the course will emphasise that this was not an exclusively Euro-centric zone but was instead a multicultural space where racialised and class-based hierarchies imagined on land and in law did not always translate into realities at sea. Throughout, the class will draw on a wide selection of primary source material, both textual and visual including maps, legal transcripts, merchant letters, literature, travel narratives, scientific treatises, and naval logs.

• Class code: V1457
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This class explores how mental illness has been explained, treated and experienced, from ancient times to the present, particularly in western cultures. Mental illness has been and continues to be one of the most controversial areas of health and medicine and one of the goals of this module is to examine why this has been the case. Students will investigate not only how thinking about mental illness has changed over time, but also the many cultural, economic. technological and political factors that have influenced notions about mental health and psychiatry. Students will engage with, and think critically about, primary sources ranging from popular literature and film to newspaper articles and medical studies, in addition to relevant secondary source material.

• Class code: V1735
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This is a fourth-year optional class designed to appeal to students taking either English or English and Creative Writing. It is a hybrid class which offers the opportunity to develop both creative writing or essay writing skills (with assessments providing the opportunity for students to exclusively write analytical essays, to exclusively write creatives pieces, or to try one of each). Modern historical fiction originated in Scotland with the work of Walter Scott. It is both a popular area for academic study and an important part of the publishing market. Students will develop skills gained in previous years in reading and critically analysing the relationship between history and literature, building on core classes in first and second year and applying them to texts which have sought to represent the past. Through reading Daphne du Maurier, Alice Walker, and Hilary Mantel, they will also learn specific literary techniques that can be used to write their own historical fiction, and gain an awareness of the buoyant market for historical fiction.

• Class code: V1479
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

• Class code: V1932
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or upper second-class Honours degree in History or overseas equivalent.
• Teaching methods: Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This team-taught module will introduce students to the key research skills and resources required for successful completion of this programme and for pursuing further research.  It will provide them with greater understanding and deeper historical awareness of methodological approaches (e.g., international and diplomatic history, oral history) and historiographical debates (theories of history); students will learn how to locate and use key archival depositaries (for early modern sources as well as more contemporary material) and online resources, how to approach the use of newspapers, personal testimonies and non-literary sources. Students will be able to apply their understanding of the theories and methods of historical research in the two pieces of coursework set up for this module, the literature review and the research proposal, which will also constitute the foundation of their dissertation.

• Class code: V1912
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or upper second-class Honours degree in History or overseas equivalent.
• Teaching methods: Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This class explores the diplomacy of the post war world. It will provide students with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the key international issues faced by Britain, France and the United States after the Second World War. Students will examine the issues which strengthened the post-war alliance and those which challenged it.

• Class code: V1988
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September-December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or upper second-class Honours degree in History or overseas equivalent.
• Teaching methods: Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This class explores the complex interactions between medicine, gender, health and illness in the 19th and 20th centuries. You'll explore the key role that gender has played in the emergence of modern healthcare and medicine in a variety of settings, such as Britain, Ireland and the United States. You'll also examine a diverse range of topics to assess how men and women, and concepts of femininity and masculinity were defined by the medical profession and how responses to men and women’s health issues became increasingly gendered over time. As well as developing your critical thinking skills through engagement with the secondary literature on these themes, you'll have the opportunity to get to grips with a variety of primary sources such as women’s magazines, advertisements, films, medical journals and oral histories.

• Class code: V1103
• Level: 1
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This module will follow on from V1102 and take the story up to the end of the twentieth century. The module will examine the effects of World War One on British society and explore the reasons for the breakaway of Ireland from the United Kingdom. The growth of the Labour party and the rise of socialism will be charted as will the effects of the Great Depression on British society. The role of the National government in formulating the policy of appeasement will be charted to show the ways in which foreign policy and domestic policy were inextricably linked. The challenge of nationalism in the empire will show how the idea of Britain as a global power was already under threat. The impact of World war Two and how it mobilised British society will be charted and the forces that led to the creation of the Welfare State will be explored. The changed global realities facing Britain and the beginnings of the Cold War will be examined to show how Britain adapted to the loss of Great Power status. Post war society is put under the microscope and the cultural revolution of the swinging sixties is explored to show how a generation gap was growing. The long slow march of women’s rights is charted and the impact of immigration is explored to show the ways in which British society was changing. The collapse of the traditional industrial economy in the 1980s and the fundamental changes in family life will be explored to show how traditional social norms were overturned. Finally, the module will consider the advent of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

• Class code: V1237
• Level: 2
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This module examines the relationship between war and society over the past 100 years, particularly the everyday experience, memory and representation of modern conflict. Focusing predominantly on the two World Wars, but also looking at more recent conflicts such as the Cold War, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars, the module is informed by national and transnational perspectives and adopts a range of historical approaches, including military history, social and cultural history, gender history, life history and the history of trauma. Drawing on a variety of sources, including official reports, propaganda, films, images and personal testimonies, we will examine how war has been studied in political, social, legal, economic, ethical and cultural terms. We will also explore the various ways in which individuals, communities and societies are implicated in war, from the experiences of soldiers in battle to those left at home.

• Class code: V1235
• Level: 2
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This class provides a broad introduction to the debates and controversies about European imperialism in the modern period through a focus on the British Empire. The course is divided into three parts to look at the processes by which colonies were established, how they came to be freed of rule from the UK, and the techniques by which control was sought. It explores the debates about how far European empires were established by coercion or collaboration, about the extent to which economic, cultural or political factors drove empire-builders, their local contacts and those that resisted them, and about the legacies of imperial rule both in former colonies and in the countries that once held them in their power. It ends by addressing the question, was there any such thing as the British Empire at all?

• Class code: V1326
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Private Study

Class descriptor

This module will introduce students to the methods used by historians to reconstruct the past. It will explore and discuss the techniques used by historians in doing primary research. The class is designed to demonstrate how students can use these techniques in their own work. Among the topics that will be covered are; constructing bibliographies, using evidence, using academic conventions, constructing research plans and writing historical prose. The module will also introduce students to the subject of historiography – crudely put as a history of history. The ways in which historians have constructed the past and how our understanding of history has evolved will be discussed. The module is designed to promote independent learning and encourage students to reflect more deeply on the subject matter. Other than research methods, this module will not require students to do additional reading. Rather, it will encourage students to reflect on the work that they have done and think more deeply about the work they are doing in other modules.

• Class code: V1711
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a seminal event in the history of the Twentieth Century and it changed the world. This module introduces students to major debates in the history of the Russian Revolution, especially through the eyes of those who either participated in revolutionary events or were affected by it. In particular, the course aims to combine discussion of key interpretive texts with an analysis of eye-witness accounts, memoirs, as well as rich cultural production-poems, art, and literature—which was inspired by the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. Arranged chronologically, ‘The Russian Revolution’ covers the Bolshevik victory in 1917, the Russian Civil War, and investigates the first ten years of Bolshevik rule. The course ends with an investigation of the global impact of the Russian Revolution, especially in Europe, China, and the colonized world. By the end of the course, students will be able to answer the following questions: Why did the Bolsheviks win? How did various groups among the Russian intelligentsia, workers and the peasants respond to these events? What was their vision of the new world order? Why did the revolution become violent? What was the impact of the Russian Revolution in Europe, Russia and the colonized world? Whilst most courses on the Russian Revolution focus on domestic events, this aims to look at its global impact. The course is an in-depth study of these events and the people who either participated or were inspired by 1917.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1389
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The Cold War was a pivotal period in the twentieth century, profoundly influencing the European continent by reshaping its political, economic, and social landscapes. The East-West divide created distinct ideological and geopolitical spheres and led to the formation of military alliances such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Moving beyond traditional bipolar interpretations that focus on the United States and the Soviet Union, this class investigates the pivotal roles played by both Western and Eastern European powers. Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of how European nations both influenced and were influenced by the complexities of the Cold War. They will analyse how regional alliances, diplomatic negotiations, and covert operations shaped the broader dynamics of international relations during this transformative period. A thorough understanding of the Cold War is essential for appreciating how ideological, military, and diplomatic strategies have redefined nations and shaped the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Through engagement with primary sources - government documents, memoirs, and archival records - and a rich array of secondary literature, students will develop nuanced and insightful perspectives on this defining era.

• Class code: V1334
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The class provides a broad survey of twentieth century Scottish social history. It will provide exposure to different interpretations and approaches to the social history of Scotland - the ways in which historians develop and use different theories for understanding societies and power. As such it encourages critical examination of continuities and changes in Scotland’s social fabric – the extent to which people’s lives have been transformed during a century of quite radical developments. Included is evaluation of the impact of two world wars; the effects of the inter war economic depression; changes in rural and urban lifestyles; trends in work, industrial relations, religion and the role of the state in people’s lives. We also examine some of the prevailing stereotypes: including the notion of ‘Red Clydeside’, of a ‘poorer’ and unhealthier nation; of an increasingly ‘classless’ society; and of the ‘hard man’ and a particularly patriarchal culture where gender inequalities persisted. The final seminar part of the course explores the impact of de-industrialisation, economic change, urban development and modernisation since World War Two. Throughout the course students are exposed to and encouraged to think critically about a range of primary sources used to reconstruct the social and cultural lives of Scots in the past, including newspapers, government papers, memoirs, autobiographies, film and oral interview testimonies.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1324
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The course aims to place medicinal substances in their social context. It will invite students to assess the idea that the creation of new drugs and medicines and the attitudes towards these within a given society are often determined by relationships and concepts other than those derived from medical or pharmacological theory. It will also show that the introduction of new medicines and drugs into societies has impacts other than that of simply curing a disease or altering a health condition and indeed that these impacts are often unanticipated. After outlining a number of issues and themes that underlie the social history of medicinal substances the course will proceed on a broadly chronological approach and will use the case study as the basis of the course structure.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1343
• Level: 3
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January-May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: lectures, seminars, tutorials

Class descriptor

This course explores the idea that childhood is not a self-evident biological category, but a social construct that has varied across time and space. By focusing on nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the course seeks to understand how childhood has been imagined throughout history; how children’s lives have been impacted by that changing definition; and how a particular construction of childhood, which emerged in the context of modern Europe, has come to be viewed as universal. Considering broad themes such as education, leisure, health, work and children’s rights, the module investigates what it meant to be a child and how different adults sought to control and regulate children’s lives. Using a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, the course investigates the methodological challenges around capturing the experience and voice of children as historical agents, and seeks to show how children were active participants in the formation of other social categories such as race, gender and class and were important contributors to global processes such as imperialism, humanitarianism and resistance.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1406
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The Cold War was a pivotal period in the twentieth century, profoundly influencing the European continent by reshaping its political, economic, and social landscapes. The East-West divide created distinct ideological and geopolitical spheres and led to the formation of military alliances such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Moving beyond traditional bipolar interpretations that focus on the United States and the Soviet Union, this class investigates the pivotal roles played by both Western and Eastern European powers. Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of how European nations both influenced and were influenced by the complexities of the Cold War. They will analyse how regional alliances, diplomatic negotiations, and covert operations shaped the broader dynamics of international relations during this transformative period. A thorough understanding of the Cold War is essential for appreciating how ideological, military, and diplomatic strategies have redefined nations and shaped the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Through engagement with primary sources - government documents, memoirs, and archival records - and a rich array of secondary literature, students will develop nuanced and insightful perspectives on this defining era.

• Class code: V1725
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January-May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: lectures, seminars, tutorials

Class descriptor

This course explores the idea that childhood is not a self-evident biological category, but a social construct that has varied across time and space. By focusing on nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the course seeks to understand how childhood has been imagined throughout history; how children’s lives have been impacted by that changing definition; and how a particular construction of childhood, which emerged in the context of modern Europe, has come to be viewed as universal. Considering broad themes such as education, leisure, health, work and children’s rights, the module investigates what it meant to be a child and how different adults sought to control and regulate children’s lives. Using a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, the course investigates the methodological challenges around capturing the experience and voice of children as historical agents, and seeks to show how children were active participants in the formation of other social categories such as race, gender and class and were important contributors to global processes such as imperialism, humanitarianism and resistance.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1405
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

The class provides a broad survey of twentieth century Scottish social history. It will provide exposure to different interpretations and approaches to the social history of Scotland - the ways in which historians develop and use different theories for understanding societies and power. As such it encourages critical examination of continuities and changes in Scotland’s social fabric – the extent to which people’s lives have been transformed during a century of quite radical developments. Included is evaluation of the impact of two world wars; the effects of the inter war economic depression; changes in rural and urban lifestyles; trends in work, industrial relations, religion and the role of the state in people’s lives. We also examine some of the prevailing stereotypes: including the notion of ‘Red Clydeside’, of a ‘poorer’ and unhealthier nation; of an increasingly ‘classless’ society; and of the ‘hard man’ and a particularly patriarchal culture where gender inequalities persisted. The final seminar part of the course explores the impact of de-industrialisation, economic change, urban development and modernisation since World War Two. Throughout the course students are exposed to and encouraged to think critically about a range of primary sources used to reconstruct the social and cultural lives of Scots in the past, including newspapers, government papers, memoirs, autobiographies, film and oral interview testimonies.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1712
• Level: 4
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Prerequisites: None
• Teaching methods: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a seminal event in the history of the Twentieth Century and it changed the world. This module introduces students to major debates in the history of the Russian Revolution, especially through the eyes of those who either participated in revolutionary events or were affected by it. In particular, the course aims to combine discussion of key interpretive texts with an analysis of eye-witness accounts, memoirs, as well as rich cultural production-poems, art, and literature—which was inspired by the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. Arranged chronologically, ‘The Russian Revolution’ covers the Bolshevik victory in 1917, the Russian Civil War, and investigates the first ten years of Bolshevik rule. The course ends with an investigation of the global impact of the Russian Revolution, especially in Europe, China, and the colonized world. By the end of the course, students will be able to answer the following questions: Why did the Bolsheviks win? How did various groups among the Russian intelligentsia, workers and the peasants respond to these events? What was their vision of the new world order? Why did the revolution become violent? What was the impact of the Russian Revolution in Europe, Russia and the colonized world? Whilst most courses on the Russian Revolution focus on domestic events, this aims to look at its global impact. The course is an in-depth study of these events and the people who either participated or were inspired by 1917.

This class can be taken in both third and fourth year under different class codes, it should NOT be taken twice

• Class code: V1804
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or upper second-class Honours degree in History or overseas equivalent.
• Teaching methods: Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

TBC

• Class code: V1938
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or second-class Honours degree, or overseas equivalent, in History or a related discipline
• Teaching methods: Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This is an interdisciplinary class that focuses on narrative, memory and public history. The student will receive a mixture of theory and practical skills around what is public history; how do we tell stories about the past; and the role of individual and popular memory in heritage. Drawing from skills across the Humanities, including English and Creative Writing, Translation Studies, Journalism and History, this public history class will equip students with transferrable skills for careers in heritage, public engagement, creative practice and journalism. Students are encouraged to consider how people and societies remember the past in the present. The class casts a critical eye on what voices are privileged at the expense of others, thinking about sexualities, race and ethnicity, disability and gender. The course has practical sessions in and around campus on oral history interviewing, creative writing and digital storytelling. Assessments are tailored to the interests and discipline of each student giving them control over their own research interests in collaboration with staff. Over the semester students will work on their own project to create a short public history project based on the skills and theory learned in class.

• Class code: V1992
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 2 (January to May)
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or upper second-class Honours degree in History or overseas equivalent.
• Teaching methods: Placement, Private Study, Seminars/Tutorials

Class descriptor

This class is designed to help students reflect on the subject specific and transferable skills they have acquired through their academic journey, articulate them to a potential employer and apply them in the workplace. This module aims to provide students with an insight into the day to day workings of an organisation, in order to develop history-specific vocational skills and promote reflection on employability and also on the issues involved in disseminating history outside academia. The class offers students the opportunity of spending eight weeks in a placement of their choice with museums, archives, historical associations, third sector organisations, university professional services. Placements are provided but students who have already identified an organisation or project they would like to work with, can discuss this with the class lecturer. Students will be asked to complete a small project or piece of research for their host. Assessment for this class include an initial work plan and a reflective essay on the student's work experience.

• Class code: V1806
• Level: 5
• Semester (including exams): 1 (September to December) OR 2 (January-May) OR Summer
• Credits: 20 (10 ECTS)
• Level of study: Postgraduate
• Prerequisites: First or upper second-class Honours degree in History or overseas equivalent.
• Teaching methods: Seminars/Tutorials, Private Study

Class descriptor

This module is designed to enable students to explore any of the places/periods/topics researched by historians in the Department of Humanities at the University of Strathclyde. It is an exercise in guided, independent study of secondary source material only. Over the course of the semester meetings will provide guidance that introduces students to a particular field of historical enquiry, and enables them to engage with the issues and controversies within it. By the end of the class students will produce a literature review of that historical field (a historiography) which summarises those issues and controversies and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments about them.