Introductory description

This module explores how history can inform out understanding of contemporary Britain. It focuses on three main inter-related issues: Brexit, the 'break-up' of Britain and challenges of post-colonial identity, and the place of the NHS in national identity. Students work together to design and run a conference on these themes and each present a paper based on original research.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

This module will introduce students to the history of contemporary Britain through a focus on three main themes: i) the history of Brexit (including the slow post-war move to join the EEC, the Referendum of 1975, historical explanations for the patterns of voting in the 2016 Referendum, and how history can inform understanding of subsequent political battles over delivering Brexit); ii) the history of the ‘break-up’ of Britain and the challenges of post-colonial national identity (including the long history of the making of the United Kingdom, the challenges of a four-nation history, the history of nationalism and devolution, and the legacies of imperial history); and iii) the history of the National Health Service as a symbol of national identity (including the history of the creation of the NHS, evidence on evolving popular attitudes, the history of its representation, and the place of the NHS in the politics of Brexit and Coronavirus).

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the historical underpinnings of recent debate about Brexit, the break-up of Britain and impact of end of Empire, and the NHS.
• Formulate a focused research question that shows how history can inform contemporary debate.
• Demonstrate cooperation, ability to provide peer feedback, initiative, responsibility, and leadership in working in a small group.
• Generate historical arguments through analysis of primary source material.
• Communicate an historical analysis clearly and cogently through presentation in a conference setting.
• Ask and respond to questions in a way that constructively builds group discussion.
• Analyse and evaluate the contributions made by existing scholarship about the history of modern Britain.

Indicative reading list

David Edgerton, The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: A Twentieth Century History (2018); Robert Saunders, Yes to Europe! The 1975 Referendum and Seventies Britain (2018); David Edgerton, ‘Brexit is a Necessary Crisis’, Guardian (9 October 2019); Stuart Ward and Astrid Rasch (eds), Embers of Empire in Brexit Britain (2019); Ross McKibbin, ‘In the Shadows of the Referendum’, Political Quarterly (2017); Linda Colley, ‘Britishness and Otherness: An Argument’, Journal of British Studies, 31 (1992) 309-29; Tom Nairn, The Break-Up of Britain: Crisis and Neo-Nationalism (1981); Thomas Martin Devine, ‘The Break-Up of Britain? Scotland and the End of Empire’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 6th series, 16 (2006) 163-80; Andrew Seaton, ‘Against the 'Sacred Cow': NHS Opposition and the Fellowship for Freedom in Medicine, 1948–72’, 20th Century British History, 26.3 (2015) 424-449; Martin Gorsky, ‘The British National Health Service 1948–2008: A Review of the Historiography’, Social History of Medicine, 21.3 (2008) 437-60; Nick Hayes, ‘Did We Really Want a National Health Service? Hospitals, Patients and Public Opinions before 1948’, English Historical Review, 127 (2012), 566-591; Mathew Thomson, ‘Representing the NHS in the Arts and Popular Culture’; David Edgerton, ‘British Exceptionalism: Where Brexit and Our Coronavirus Response Collide’, New European (3 May 2020); James Meek, ‘NHS SOS’, London Review of Books, (April 2018); John Furse, ‘The NHS Dismantled’, London Review of Books, (November, 2019).

Research element

Preparation of paper for presentation at conference which will draw on some primary source material (this will be accessible electronically via the library)

Interdisciplinary

The module is designed to provide the students with an understanding of relationships between the different disciplinary areas within the Humanities and Social Sciences, particularly History, Politics and Sociology. It also invites to the students to make connections with other disciplinary areas covered in their main study programme. It provides the students with a critical understanding of dominant traditions and methodologies associated with the main phenomena covered in the module and enables the students to transcend disciplinary boundaries. The interdisciplinary course cohort provides contact opportunities. Learning to see from different perspectives is a core aspect of the learning experience.

International

The module draws on cases from different contexts and different geopolitical areas. The assessment involves students working in groups which will allow for a global and local outlook to be built into the module’s work. The international and diverse course cohort provides contact opportunities and learning to see from different perspectives is a core aspect of the learning experience.

Subject specific skills

see learning outcomes

Transferable skills

Work effectively with others in group tasks and in teams; Plan and manage time in projects; Develop strong analytical skills; Find, evaluate and use previous research at a level appropriate for a second-year module; Use a range of tools and resources effectively in the preparation of course work; Use appropriate analytic methods to analyse research data; Read academic papers effectively in the context of an intensive programme; Communicate clearly and effectively in discussions; Communicate ideas effectively in formal oral presentation.