Students

MHIS217 – Britain, Empire and the Making of a Globalized World, 1688-1914

2018 – S2 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Kate Fullagar
Contact via kate.fullagar@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
12cp at 100 level or above or (3cp in HIST or MHIS or POL units)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Britain transformed the world. Beginning with the Glorious Revolution of 1688, this period saw the rise of Britain from a relatively weak position on the margins of Europe to the centre of the largest and most influential empire in the modern world. This unit will consider how the British Empire functioned as a carrier of modernity around the globe over two hundred years. It will look at Britain’s rise to power through trade; its establishment of settlements in the Americas, with its attendant institutionalization of both slavery and a rhetoric of liberty; and the crumbling of British Atlantic holdings in revolution by 1776. It also looks at British renewal in the Indo-Pacific region, alongside growing calls at home for liberal political reform. The unit will briefly survey the relatively rapid unravelling of the Empire through the twentieth century. Throughout we will investigate the nature of resistance to empire. The unit will appeal especially to students of European history and postcolonial studies.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

General Assessment Information

Late Submission Penalty

 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial Participation 10% No Continuous
Tutorial Quizzes 10% No Continuous
Blog posts and comments 20% No 27 Aug; 17 Sept
Major Essay 40% No 29 Oct 2018, 5pm
Take-home exam 20% No 16 Nov, 2016, 5pm

Tutorial Participation

Due: Continuous
Weighting: 10%

You are expected to attend all tutorials. Absences must be documented (for example, with a medical certificate). Participation means not only doing all the readings beforehand but also contributing to discussion with your fellow students during our meeting. Good participation ensures a productive learning environment for you and everyone else. Your grade is assessed on the basis of your generosity with your knowledge to other students and your willingness to ask relevant questions and to have a go at trying to answer others' questions. Simply turning up registers no marks at all. Please do not turn up if you have not done any preparation. Tutorial participation for external students involves posting (about 200 words) to each online weekly discussion.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Tutorial Quizzes

Due: Continuous
Weighting: 10%

Each week in the online lectures, I will pose a question or two for students to answer before coming to tute. Internals students must submit their answers on paper at each tute – they can be either handwritten or typed. Presentation is not crucial for these pieces. Questions will not be made elsewhere for students to read, so you must listen to the lectures. Questions will be based on both lecture material and the readings. You cannot make up quizzes later in the unit if you miss the tute, but the good news is that only your best 9 of the 11 quizzes set will count towards your final grade. For external students: quiz answers must come to the tutor via email (no attachment) by the Friday of each week. This task usually ensures adequate student preparation, kicks off good tute discussions, and enables us to identify any writing issues.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.

Blog posts and comments

Due: 27 Aug; 17 Sept
Weighting: 20%

Students post two blog posts. The first blog post should relate to topics arising out of weeks 1-4; the second blog relates to topics arising out of weeks 5-7. Blog posts should be around 500 words each. Students choose one topic of interest in the given group of topics, and reflect on what that topic is about and how it relates to an issue current in the present world.

Note:

  • Each post should pursue one clear idea (not a rambling stream of consciousness)
  • Emphasis should be on the relationship between the past and the present
  • Each blog post must demonstrate some minimal research – at least two scholarly sources must be cited
  • You can use a conversational tone, as well as images, videos, and hyperlinks to pertinent webpages.
  • You should include acknowledgement of sources, but these can be given in short/informal form or via a hyperlink and need not be a part of the word count.
  • See examples put up in iLearn; see especially The Conversation online

Important: In order to pass this task, each student must also make at least one comment on another student’s post within two days of each posting. That is, students must make at least 2 comments in total (you are free to make more). Your comments are not graded but must be made by the set dates.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.

Major Essay

Due: 29 Oct 2018, 5pm
Weighting: 40%

Answer one of the twelve questions listed in iLearn, in 2500 words. Your essay should include reference to at least two primary sources and six secondary sources.  The ‘further reading’ lists on iLearn will be the best place to start your research. The point of this task is to hone your research skills; hone your ability to make a sustained argument with evidence; and hone your ability to write persuasively.

Refer to the history essay-writing guides at the back of the Reader for information about argumentation, formatting, and citation style. You must build a strong argument through every paragraph. You must present your essay with a title, wide margins, page numbers, and double-spaced. You must cite your references correctly and provide a bibliography at the end, starting on a new page.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.

Take-home exam

Due: 16 Nov, 2016, 5pm
Weighting: 20%

Questions and guidelines to be handed out on Monday 11th Nov, via iLearn. Emphasis will be given to the last two tutorial topics especially, as well as to your ability to synthesise the materials covered in the unit as a whole. No new research outside of that achieved in the unit already will be necessary. No extensions will be granted; late submissions will receive zero.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Delivery and Resources

LECTURES AND TUTORIALS

As you will note this year MHIS217 will run in flipped format. All the lecture material (90 minutes per week) will be online via the ilearn site. Students are expected to attend just their 90 minute tute every week, after listening to all the lecture material for that week. The online presence of this unit is to be found at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/.  For current updates, please consult the MQ Timetables website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.

Students are expected to attend all tutes offered in this unit. They need to listen to the week’s lectures before turning up to the tute per week. They need also to bring to each tute completed work, set by the lecturer in the online lectures, based on lecture content and on reading. Tutes usually require about 40 pages of reading per week. Absences need to be documented with a medical certificate or equivalent. Students need to achieve at least 50% overall to pass the unit.  

READINGS

There is no set textbook (though see recommendations listed in Week One). Due to the shutdown of the printer, there is now no course reader either. All essential readings will be uploaded in PDF form on the iLearn site. I have tried to combine primary sources with secondary sources for most of the weeks — sometimes it has gone one way or the other. This is to give you a feel for the mixture of sources that you will be expected to manage in your written work. Further readings (listed each week on iLearn) are mostly available at the MQ library.

As mentioned elsewhere, your participation grade is measured by the quality and enthusiasm of your input: be generous; be curious; be brave.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Tutorial Quizzes
  • Blog posts and comments
  • Major Essay
  • Take-home exam

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Tutorial Quizzes
  • Take-home exam

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Assessment task

  • Tutorial Participation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.

Assessment tasks

  • Blog posts and comments
  • Major Essay
  • Take-home exam

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Tutorial Quizzes
  • Blog posts and comments
  • Major Essay
  • Take-home exam

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Quizzes
  • Blog posts and comments
  • Major Essay
  • Take-home exam

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Produce written work on multiple aspects of British imperial activity and impact based on primary- and secondary-source research.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Tutorial Quizzes
  • Blog posts and comments
  • Major Essay
  • Take-home exam

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Assessment task

  • Tutorial Participation

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and explain some chief threads of British imperial activity during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
  • Understand and evaluate the ways in which the British Empire since 1688 has served as a globalizing carrier of modernity.
  • Synthesize their understandings and analysis into clear, specific arguments presented in cogent writing with appropriate references.
  • Engage with staff and other students in classroom discussions and present their ideas and opinions orally.

Assessment task

  • Tutorial Participation