Postgraduate Course: Theories of Empire in the Early Modern Period (PGHC11421)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course looks at the development and meaning of the concepts of 'empire', conquest and dominion, from their Roman roots until the 18th century, using the Stuart ideas of empire as its starting point. |
| Course description |
This course looks at the development and meaning of the concepts of 'empire', conquest and dominion, from their Roman roots until the 18th century. Taking the Stuart ideas of empire as its focal point, it addresses classical and European theories of empire and their applications, especially, but not exclusively, in the Americas and pays attention to the Spanish, Portuguese, French, British and Dutch empires. The focus here is on the intellectual contexts which underpinned them, rather than on their history and development. Topics covered include ideas of empire inspired by ancient Rome, contemporary land and sea-based empires, and the relationship between the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, By taking a broad and comparative view of the idea and theory of empire and imperialism, this course moves beyond both traditional imperial history and Anglo-centric approaches.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate in research reports and essays a detailed and critical command of the body of knowledge concerning the theories of empires
- Demonstrate in research reports and essays an ability to analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship concerning the history of the theories of empires and their comparative context, primary source materials concerning conquest, domination and acquisition of empires and conceptual discussions about intellectual history
- Demonstrate in research reports and seminar participation, an ability to understand and apply specialised research or professional skills, techniques and practices considered in the course
- Demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain original scholarly arguments in oral and written form in seminar discussions, presentations, research reports and essays by independently formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence considered in the course
- Demonstrate in seminar discussions, presentations, research reports and essays originality and independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers; and a considerable degree of autonomy
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Reading List
Armitage, D., Theories of Empire (Ashgate, 1998)
Armitage, D., The Ideological Origins of the British Empire (Cambridge, 2000)
Canny, Nicholas, 'The Ideology of English Colonization: from Ireland to America', William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., 30 (1973), 575-98
Elliott, J. H., 'A Europe of Composite Monarchies', Past & Present, 137 (1992), 48-71
Kupperman, Karen, 'The Beehive as a Model for Colonial Design', in: Idem (ed.), America in European Consciousness, 1493-1750 (Williamsburg, 1995), 272-295
Macinnes, Allan I., Union and Empire. The Making of the United Kingdom in 1707 (Cambridge, 2007)
Morgan, Philip, 'Virginia's Other Prototype: The Caribbean', in: Philip P. Boucher, The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624 (North Carolina, 2007)
Ohlmeyer, Jane, '"Civilizinge of those rude partes": Colonization within Britain and Ireland, 1580s-1640s", in: Nicholas Canny (ed), The Oxford History of Empire. Vol I. The Origins of Empire. British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth Century (Oxford, 1998), 124-147
Pagden, A., Lords of All the World: Ideologies of Empire in Spain, Britain and France, c. 1500-c.1800 (London, 1995)
Pincus, Steve,1688. The First Modern Revolution (New Haven & London, 2009)
Schmidt, B. Innocence Abroad: The Dutch Imagination and the New World, 1570-1670 (Cambridge University Press, 2001 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Theories,Empire,Early Modern |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Esther Mijers
Tel: (0131 6)50 3756
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: |
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