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MO4974   The British Town in the Long Eighteenth Century

Academic year(s): 2017-2018

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 60

ECTS credits : 30

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: Full Year

Availability restrictions: Available only to students in the second year of the Honours programme.

Planned timetable: See http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/infoug/ugtimetable

From the later 1600s onwards both the population of Britain and its North American colonies grew rapidly. Many of these extra people moved to towns, which as a consequence underwent astonishing expansion. By 1800 10% of Britons lived in London, and even previously small cities like Liverpool had tens of thousands of inhabitants. In America, towns sprung up where previously there had been only forests and fields. This course examines the experiences of those Britons caught up in this new and strange urban world. We will delve into the terror and the exhilaration, the menace and the bliss, and the awe and the pity, of life in the eighteenth century city. Also, we will investigate how growing towns shaped landscapes, culture, society, economy and politics in this age of enlightenment and Revolution. The course includes field trips to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 1 x 3-hour seminar, plus 1 office hour.

Scheduled learning hours: 66

Guided independent study hours: 534

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 2 x hour Written Examinations = 40%, Coursework = 60%

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 40%
Practical examinations : 6%
Coursework: 54%

Re-assessment: New Coursework: 1 x source exercise (2,000 - 2,500 words) and 1 x 4,000- to 5,000-word essay = 100%

Personnel

Module teaching staff: Dr E Hart