First Year Module
Module Leader: Dr Edward Packard
Rationale and Content:
Taking the shock victory of the Japanese over the Imperial Russian navy in 1905 as a starting point, this original and thought-provoking module is designed to help students find an answer to the question of whether ‘the West’ has declined compared to ‘the Rest’ since the beginning of the twentieth century, or if it has retained the leading position in world affairs. This central issue will be addressed from a number of angles, including politics, economics, culture, ideology, imperialism, religion and technology; and students will be encouraged to use a wide variety of primary and secondary materials in reaching their conclusions.
As an introduction to international history, this module concentrates on Britain and the United States from the western world, alongside the experiences of various Asian, African and Latin American nation-states. Students will also consider the impact of non-western ideas, including political Islam. Although the module primarily adopts a thematic and analytical approach, it also incorporates a broad overview of key events during the twentieth century (including the two world wars and the Cold War) thereby laying a platform for more advanced study of these topics at Level Two.
The module ‘officially’ ends with the al-Qaeda surprise attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, but students are encouraged to extend their analysis to the present day and to think about the ways in which history can be used to inform and shape current affairs. Indeed, with the ‘war on terror’, the seemingly inexorable rise of China and the enormous impact of globalisation, questions related to western power are of enormous contemporary significance. Is ‘the West’ destined to lose the ‘clash of civilisations’ and did it sow the seeds of its own decline? Did 9/11 mark the start of a new era or the continuation of a wider historical process? Can we view international history as an ongoing cycle of growth and decay? Students will develop sophisticated answers to these, and other, questions and should finish the module both as better historians and informed global citizens.
Learning and Teaching Strategies:
The module will be delivered through weekly lectures and seminars plus tutorial support. Where appropriate supporting resources will also be made available online. Seminar sessions will be designed to encourage student participation and will support students in strengthening their skills of presentation, discussion, argument and debate, and in evaluating, interpreting and using secondary and primary sources.
Assessment:
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Module
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Mode
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Weighting %
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Length
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Submission date
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Decline of the West
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Assessed Seminar Contribution
Essay
Exam
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10
40
50
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Ongoing
2000 words
2 hours
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N/A
Week 10
End of semester
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Recommended Introductory Reading:
Niall Ferguson, Civilization: The West and the Rest, (2011).
Eric Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991,(1994).
Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500-2000, (1989).
William R. Keylor, The Twentieth-Century World and Beyond: An International History since 1900, (2011).
N.B. Advice on recommended book purchases for this module will be given to students at the start of term.
Further Reading:
Correlli Barnett, The Audit of War: The Illusion and Reality of Britain as a Great Nation,(1986).
David Fieldhouse, The West and the Third World: Trade, Colonialism, Dependence and Development,(1999).
Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, (1992).
Arthur Herman, The Idea of Decline in Western History,(1997).
Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, (2002).
Theodore H. von Laue, The World Revolution of Westernization: The Twentieth Century in Global Perspective,(1989).
Wm. Roger Louis, Ends of British Imperialism: The Scramble for Empire, Suez, and Decolonization, (2006).
William H. McNeill, The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community, (1991).
Jonathan D. Spence, The Search for Modern China, (1999).
Oswald Spengler, The Decline of the West, (1926-28).
Emmanuel Todd, After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order,(2004).