Undergraduate Course: The Great Irish Famine 1845-1852: Hunger, Modernity and Exile (HIST10362)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Over one million people died during the Great Irish Famine of 1845-52 and at least another million people emigrated, most destined for North America. What happened in Ireland during this period is the subject of much debate among historians, not least because of the vexed question: who, if anyone, was responsible for this appalling tragedy? This course explores issues of causation and responsibility, as well as the social, political and economic dimensions of the Irish crisis. How many people died, what kinds of people died, and indeed was the famine inevitable? How does the Irish experience compare with famines elsewhere? And lastly, what was the subsequent significance of this crucial event for Irish-British relations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? |
| Course description |
1. Introduction
2. Ireland before the Famine
3. ¿The Visitation of God¿
4. Relief policy I: Government Responses
5. Relief policy II: Private Responses
6. A Year of Rebellion, 1848
7. The Forgotten Famine
8. Famine Exiles and the Irish Diaspora
9. Consequences: Post-Famine Ireland
10. Comparative Perspectives
11. Conclusion: A Legacy of Hunger?
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass or passes in 40 credits of first level historical courses or equivalent and a pass or passes in 40 credits of second level historical courses or equivalent.
Before enrolling students on this course, PTs are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Secretary to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503767). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting Students should usually have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
10 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One essay of 3,000 words (30% of final mark); one two-hour examination paper (60%); oral presentation (10%). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to demonstrate:
-a knowledge of the causes, course and consequences of the Great Irish Famine;
-an understanding of the key debates relating to this period;
-an awareness of the complexities involved in the study of a controversial episode in modern Irish history;
-an ability to utilise relevant primary sources to support historical arguments;
-the acquisition of the above skills by way of essay, examination, class participation and presentation.
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Reading List
Austin Bourke, 'The Visitation of God'? The Potato and Great Irish Famine
(1993).
John Crowley, William J. Smyth and Mike Murphy (eds.), Atlas of the Great Irish
Famine (2012).
Mary E. Daly, The Famine in Ireland (1986).
Enda Delaney, The Curse of Reason: The Great Irish Famine (2012).
James S. Donnelly Jr., The Great Irish Potato Famine (2001).
R. D. Edwards and T. D. Williams (eds.), The Great Famine: Studies in Irish
History, 1845-52 (1956/1994).
Peter Gray, Famine, Land and Politics: British Government and Irish Society, 1843-1850 (1999
Christine Kinealy, This Great Calamity: The Irish Famine, 1845-52 (1994).
Christine Kinealy, The Great Irish Famine: Impact, Ideology and Rebellion 2001).
Cormac Ó Gráda,The Great Irish Famine (1989/1995).
Cormac Ó Gráda, Black ¿47 and Beyond: The Great Irish Famine in History,
Economy and Memory (1999).
Cormac Ó Gráda, Ireland's Great Famine: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (2006).
Cathal Póirteir (ed.),The Great Irish Famine (1995).
Cecil Woodham Smith, The Great Hunger (1962, 1991).
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical interpretation of historical interpretations and primary sources; oral and written presentation skills |
| Keywords | The Great Irish Fame |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Enda Delaney
Tel: (0131 6)50 3755
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Jacqueline Mason
Tel: (0131 6)50 4561
Email: |
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