Undergraduate Course: Scotland and the Great War (SCHI10073)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course will examine the effect of the Great War on Scotland and the way in which Scottish issues relate to the voluminous historiography of the conflict. |
| Course description |
This course aims to consider the Great War in a Scottish context. Recent developments in the historiography, not least the publication of A Military History of Scotland, as well as much public comment about the history of the conflict during the centenary, make this an interesting moment at which to propose such a course. The seminars will consider the military history of the Great War from a Scottish perspective as well as looking at the effect of the war on Scottish political, economic and social history. The theme of commemoration will be addressed. A recent theme in the historiography, eg in Adrian Gregory's The Last Great War, has been the examination of the effect of the conflict in a local context. The resources of the NAS and the NLS provide opportunities for original student work in this area. Although the bulk of the course will be taught using the voluminous secondary work in this area there are opportunities to work with the local press in Scotland as well as collections of primary material in Edinburgh archives.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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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, Personal Tutors are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Administrator to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503780).
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate by means of the essay, the exam and participation in class discussions, a critical understanding of historical debates concerning the history of the Great War and the relevant aspects of Scottish History;
- demonstrate by means of the essay, the exam and participation in class discussions, a detailed understanding of the effect of the Great War in a particular context;
- demonstrate by means of the essay, the exam and participation in class discussions, an ability to analyse and contextualise primary source material relating to the Great War;
- demonstrate an ability to arrive at independent, well-argued, well-documented and properly referenced conclusions in their coursework essays;
- demonstrate their skills in group discussion, and their written, analytical and theoretical skills in coursework.
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Reading List
Alexander, J., McCrae's battalion: the story of the 16th Royal Scots (Edinburgh, 2003)
Brown, S.J., A solemn purification by fire : responses to the Great War in the Scottish presbyterian churches, Journal of Ecclesiastical History 45 (1994), 82 104
Gregory, A., The last great war: British Society and the First World War (Cambridge, 2008)
Macdonald, C.M.M. and E.W. McFarland (eds), Scotland and the Great War (East Linton, 1999).
McFarland, E.W., The Great War, in T.M. Devine and J.Wormald (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Modern Scottish History (Oxford, 2012).
Macleod, J., 'Memorials and Location: Local versus National Identity and the Scottish National War Memorial', Scottish Historical Review, 89 (2010), 73 95.
Melling, J., Rent strikes: peoples struggle for housing in west Scotland, 1890 1916 (Edinburgh, 1983)
Pennell, Catriona A Kingdom United: Popular Responses to the Outbreak of the First World War in Britain and Ireland (Oxford, 2012)
Riddell, Linda, Shetland and the Great War, PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2012.
Royle, T., The flowers of the forest: Scotland and the First World War (Edinburgh, 2006)
Spiers, E., The Scottish soldier at war, in H. Cecil & P. H. Liddle (eds), Facing Armageddon: the First World War experienced (London, 1996), 314 55
Spiers, E.M., J.A.Crang and M.J.Strickland (eds), A Military History of Scotland (Edinburgh, 2012).
Young, Derek, Voluntary recruitment in Scotland, 1914 to 1916, PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, 2001.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The study of the past gives students a unique understanding of the present that will enable them to succeed in a broad range of careers. The transferable skills gained from this course include:
- understanding of complex issues and how to draw valid conclusions from the past
- ability to analyse the origins and development of current historiographical debates
- a command of bibliographical and library- and/or IT-based online and offline research skills
- a range of skills in reading and textual analysis
- ability to question and problematise evidence; considering the relationship between evidence and interpretation
- ability to marshal arguments lucidly, coherently and concisely, both orally and in writing
- ability to deliver a paper or a presentation in front of peer audiences
- ability to design and execute pieces of written work and to present them suitably, as evidenced by the assessed essay of 3,000 words |
| Keywords | Great War |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Ewen Cameron
Tel: (0131 6)50 4031
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Stephanie Blakey
Tel: (0131 6)68 8261
Email: |
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