Run by School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 1

Organiser: Dr Audrey Thorstad

Violence was ubiquitous in the British Isles throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. Its control and suppression are fundamental to the very idea of early modernity. It was during this period that violence was first perceived as a constant feature of the human condition and identified as a major social and political problem, inspiring writers, painters, and philosophers to address the issue. With that being said, violence was everywhere. Religious division exacerbated civil conflict across Europe with the British Isles witnessing fear of invasion from usurpers to Catholic enemies as well as internal conflicts. Violence did not just come in the form of war, but can be seen in the judicial system, in the honour code, and in the alehouses.

This module investigates the different types of violence in 16th-century England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, using it to understand the wider social, political, and religious upheavals of the time. It serves both to encourage students to think in theoretical terms about the ways in which the experience of violence can be historically reconstructed and to expose them to the opportunities and problems presented by a variety of evidence. These sources include letters, diaries, broadsheets, pamphlets, chronicles, songs, plays, engravings and woodcuts, as well as all types of arts, and court records.

Problems and possibilities of violence in early modern England; Manhood and Violence; Visual representations of violence; Internal vs. external threats; Religious Violence; Chivalry; Armies & Navies; Battling the ‘other’; Crime & punishment; Bar-fights; The duel and the rise of civility; modern perceptions of early modern violence.

threshold

D+ (48%) Work is marked D+ if it: shows evidence of acceptable amounts of reading, but does not go much beyond what was referenced in lecture notes and/or a basic textbook; covers much of the necessary ground but fails to discuss one or a few vital aspects of a topic; deploys relevant material but partly fails to combine it into a coherent whole, or sustains a clear argument only for the greater part of the piece; deploys some evidence to support individual points, but sometimes fails to do so, or shows difficulty in weighing evidence, or chooses unreliable evidence; displays an awareness that the past can be interpreted in different ways but without devoting sustained discussion to this; is for the most part correctly presented but has sections where there are serious problems in presentation, style, spelling, grammar, or paragraph construction (but see section on dyslexia below); and uses references and bibliography where needed but occasionally misunderstands their appropriate use or makes mistakes in their presentation.

D (45%) Work is marked D if it: shows evidence of an acceptable minimum of reading, based partly on lecture notes and/or a basic textbook; covers some of the necessary ground but fails to discuss some large and vital aspects of a topic; deploys some relevant material but partly fails to combine it into a coherent whole or sustains a clear argument for only some parts of the piece; deploys some evidence to support individual points but often fails to do so or shows difficulty weighing evidence or chooses unreliable, atypical or inappropriate evidence; shows some awareness that the past can be interpreted in different ways but the differences will not receive sustained discussion or analysis; is often correctly presented but has sections where there are serious difficulties in presentation, style, spelling, grammar, or paragraph construction (but see section on dyslexia below); and uses references and bibliography where needed but sometimes misunderstands their appropriate use or makes serious mistakes in their presentation.

D- (42%) Work is marked D- if it: shows evidence of an acceptable minimum of reading, based largely on lecture notes and/or a basic textbook; covers parts of the necessary ground but fails to discuss some large and vital aspects of a topic; deploys some potentially relevant material but fails to bring it together into a coherent whole or sustains a clear argument for only parts of the piece; occasionally deploys evidence to back some individual points but often fails to do so or shows difficulty weighing evidence or chooses unreliable, atypical, or inappropriate evidence; may show some awareness that the past can be interpreted in different ways but the differences will not receive sustained discussion or analysis; is in part correctly presented but has sections where there are serious difficulties in presentation, style, spelling, grammar, or paragraph construction (but see section on dyslexia below); and uses references and bibliography where needed but sometimes misunderstands their appropriate use or makes serious mistakes in their presentation.

excellent

A* (95%) At this level, first-class work earns its mark by showing genuine originality. It may advance a novel argument or deal with evidence which has not been considered before. Such originality of ideas or evidence is coupled with the standards of content, argument, and analysis expected of first-class work graded at A or A+. At this level, the work exhausts relevant secondary material, includes in dissertation work extensive and often unanticipated primary evidence, and betrays no factual or interpretative inaccuracy. It can also show a mastery of theory and deploy hypotheses subtly and imaginatively. In the case of essays and dissertations, work of this standard will be impeccable in presentation and will be publishable.

A+ (87%) At this level, first-class work will also have its argument supported by an impressive wealth and relevance of detail, but will further deploy the evidence consistently accurately and give indications of deploying unexpected primary and secondary sources. It will habitually demonstrate a particularly acute and critical awareness of the historiography and/or archaeological debate, including conceptual approaches, and give a particularly impressive account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular historical or archaeological debate. It will show a particularly sophisticated approach to possible objections, moderating the line taken in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. It will be original work. The standards of content, argument, and analysis expected will be consistently first-class work. In essays and dissertations standards of presentation will be very high.

A (80%) At this level, first-class work will have its argument supported by an impressive wealth and relevance of detail. It will usually also demonstrate an acute awareness of historiography and/or archaeological debate, and give an impressive account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular historical or archaeological debate. It may show a particularly subtle approach to possible objections, moderating the line taken in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. Overall, the standards of content, argument, and analysis expected will be consistently superior to top upper-second work. In essays and dissertations standards of presentation will be high.

A- (74%) A first-class mark at this level is often earned simply by demonstrating one or more of the features of a good upper-second essay to a peculiar degree, for example presenting a particularly strong organization of argument, strong focus, wide range of reading, engagement with the historiography and/or archaeological debate, depth of understanding, an unobjectionable style, and strong presentation.

good

B+ (68%) Work will receive a B+ mark if it is consistently strong in: covering the necessary ground in depth and detail; advancing a well structured, relevant, and focused argument; analysis and deployment of an appropriate range of historical and/or archaeological evidence and consideration of possible differences of interpretation; and is correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.

B (65%) Work will receive a B mark if it: is clear that it is based on solid reading; covers the necessary ground in depth and detail; advances a well-structured, relevant, and focused argument; analyses and deploys an appropriate range of historical and/or archaeological evidence and considers possible differences of interpretation; and is correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.

B- (62%) Work will receive a B- mark if it: is clearly based on solid reading; covers the necessary ground in some depth and detail; advances a properly-structured, relevant, and focused argument; analyses and deploys an appropriate range of historical and/or archaeological evidence and considers possible differences of interpretation; and is correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.

C- to C+

C+ (58%) Work will receive a C+ mark if it: shows evidence of solid reading, but remains partially superficial; covers the important aspects of the relevant field, but in some places lacks depth; advances a coherent and relevant argument; employs some evidence to back its points; and is presented reasonably well with only a few or no mistakes. It will also contain appropriate references and bibliography, which may, however, be slightly erratic and/or partially insufficient.

C (55%) Work will receive a C mark if it: shows evidence of solid reading, but remains superficial; covers most of the important aspects of the relevant field, but lacks depth; advances a coherent and largely relevant argument; employs some limited evidence to back its points; and is presented reasonably well with only limited mistakes. It will also contain appropriate references and bibliography, which may, however, contain some mistakes or be slightly erratic and/or partially insufficient.

C- (52%) Work will receive a C- mark if it: shows evidence of solid reading, but little knowledge of in-depth studies (for first-year work the student may not have read beyond a few standard works; at second or third year the student may not have read a good selection of journal articles and specialist monographs); covers most of the important aspects of the relevant field, but lacks depth or misses a significant area (for second- and third-year work this may mean that it fails to deploy the historical details found in specialist literature); advances a coherent, and sometimes relevant argument, but drifts away from tackling the task in hand (for example, by ordering the argument in an illogical way, becoming distracted by tangential material, or lapsing into narrative of only partial pertinence); usually employs evidence to back its points, but occasionally fails to do so or deploys an insufficient range; displays an awareness that the past can be interpreted in different ways, but may fail to get to the heart of the central scholarly debate or fully understand a key point (in second- and third-year work this may extend to a failure to discuss important subtleties or ambiguities in the evidence, or to a lack of awareness of the current state of historical or archaeological debate); is reasonably well presented and contains appropriate references and bibliography, but makes some mistakes in presentation or appropriate use.

1. Communicate ideas and findings about violence in a comparative context, both orally and in writing;

2. Identify and evaluate the most frequently used sources for the study of violence, including visual and written material;

3. Demonstrate a close familiarity with a range of primary sources from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries, analyse these sources, and use them in historical interpretation and argument

4. Develop the ability to contextualise violence as a subject of historical enquiry

5. Analyse and comment on competing interpretations of early modern history (including current historiographical positions)

Type	Name	Description	Weight
CASE STUDY	Primary source analysis		40
ESSAY	Essay		60

		Hours
Study group	Film showing	5
Private study		173
Seminar	If taught over an 11 week term. Year 3 seminars will focus on a series of case studies, historiographical themes, concepts and issues arising from the content of the course, as well as developing a detailed knowledge of specific aspects of this topic. Students will be required to demonstrate a more advanced usage and interpretation of both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources will play an integral part in discussions and all course work.	11
Lecture	If taught over an 11 week term.	11

• Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
• Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
• Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

• problem solving to develop solutions to understand the past
• understanding the complexity of change over time; in specific contexts and chronologies
• being sensitive to the differences, or the "otherness" of the past, and the difficulty to using it as a guide to present or future action
• being sensitive to the role of perceptions of the past in contemporary cultures
• producing logical and structured arguments supported by relevant evidence
• marshalling and critically appraising other people's arguments, including listening and questioning
• demonstrating a positive and can-do approach to practical problems
• presenting effective oral presentations for different kinds of audiences, including academic and/or audiences with little knowledge of history
• making critical and effective use of information retrieval skills using paper-based and electronic resources
• collaborating effectively in a team via experience of working in a group
• appreciating and being sensitive to different cultures and dealing with unfamiliar situations
• critical evaluation of one's own and others' opinions
• engaging with relevant aspects of current agendas such as global perspectives, public engagement, employability, enterprise, and creativity

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/hth-3164.html

Reading list

Julius Ruff, Violence in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1800 (Cambridge, 2001).

Cultures of Violence: Interpersonal Violence in Historical Perspective, ed. By Stuart Carroll (Basingstoke, 2007).

Jonathan Davies, Aspects of Violence in Early Modern Europe (Ashgate, 2013).

Compulsory in courses:

• VVV2: BA Philosophy and Religion and Welsh History year 3 (BA/PRWH)
• VP23: BA Welsh History and Film Studies year 3 (BA/WHFS)
• LVH2: BA Welsh History/Sociology year 3 (BA/WHS)

Optional in courses:

• V400: BA Archaeology year 3 (BA/ARCH)
• V100: BA History year 3 (BA/H)
• 8B03: BA History (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/HIE)
• V140: BA Modern & Contemporary History year 3 (BA/MCH)
• V130: BA Mediaeval and Early Modern His year 3 (BA/MEMH)
• V104: BA Welsh History and Archaeology year 3 (BA/WHAR)
• VV12: BA Welsh History/History year 3 (BA/WHH)
• M1V1: LLB Law with History year 3 (LLB/LH)
• M1V2: LLB Law with History (International Experience) year 3 (LLB/LHI)
• V101: MArts History year 3 (MARTS/HIST)