The British republic: Culture, religion and war 1649-1660

Overview

This course will provide a structured analysis of the history of the British republic, 1649-1660. Focusing on cultural, religious and military developments, it will describe life in a period of radical and sometimes complex constitutional experiment. The course will begin with a broad survey of the period in weeks 1 and 2 before moving to more detailed case studies. These case studies will focus on problems in the cultural, religious and military history of the period, focusing on the difficulty of imagining, establishing, defending, and exporting a British protestant republican ideal in a revolutionary age. It is hoped that this course will also include 2 guest lectures from Professor Paul Lim, Vanderbilt University, in an arrangement I will reciprocate with him, by audio-visual method.

Learning Objectives

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to: demonstrate competent use of EEBO; demonstrate appropriate knowledge of major themes in the study of the period; express themselves in written work appropriate to L3; demonstrate competence in transferable skills such as research, team work, and presentations.

Skills

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate transferable skills in: research and communication; understanding strengths and weaknesses of strategy and leadership; understand relationships between culture, religion and politics.

Assessment