HIST20069: Modern European History

- 1,500 word primary document analysis (40%)
- 500 word tutorial journal (10%)
- 2,000 word research essay (50%)

Document Analysis: 1,500 words worth 40%. You get a choice from 3 primary sources on a particular topic (in 2020, it was the Industrial Revolution) and respond to it like you would with any history source analysis.

Research Essay: 2,000 words worth 50%. There are roughly 10 topics to choose from covering all aspects of the subject. All of the topics were incredibly broad (for example - this was one of the prompts - 'Discuss the impact of the French Revolution in Europe').

Tutorial Journal/Presentation: 500 words worth 10%. Sorry, can't be of much help here. It was replaced with a discussion board post in our year due to online arrangements.

Overall, I found this subject to be badly organised - and this was before the university even shifted to online learning (this was the Corona semester). My other complaint is that I found the content delivery to be on the dry side, even though 19th/20th century Europe is something I'm personally interested in.

The subject begins with the French Revolution in 1789 and ends with the outbreak of WWI in 1914. The topics covered (in order) are:
- French Revolution
- Napoleonic Wars
- Industrial Revolution
- Revolutions of 1848
- Nationalism
- Developments in science and culture
- Unification of Germany and Italy
- Paris Commune
- European imperialism
- Outbreak of war
If you plan on studying European history any further, then the content would be highly useful.

I know I gave this unit a low rating, but I think with proper organisation, it can be a great subject. I just won the bad luck lottery - the subject coordinator actually just wanted to bloody retire but the university "forcibly delayed my plans" (actual quote from Greg) last minute so he was winging it from the start. That, in addition to moving online half way, made this subject one of the least enjoyable ones I've done so far. However, I still recommend this unit, especially to those wishing to study European history further, purely for the content.

Yes, with screen capture.

Gregory Burgess

N/A

2 out of 5

N/A

1 x 1.5 hr lectures and 1 x 1 hr tutorials a week

2020 Semester 1

H1 (80)