History

History Thematic Course: Awakenings

Module code: V1468
Level 6
30 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module uses Muslim histories, 1450-2011, to explore and critique the theme of ‘Awakening.’

You will begin with religious, political, and cultural revivals that occurred within and between the early modern Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires (1450-1800).

You then shift to the modern period through an exploration of the nahda, a cultural revival in the eastern Mediterranean, and the historiography relating to the ‘awakening’ of the Arab nation.

Further topics will vary between years and according to student interest, but may include:

• the rise of Wahhabism in 1700s Arabia
• the impact of Indian Ocean trade on Mughal art
• twentieth-century Islamic revivalism
• the Arab Uprisings of 2011.

Module learning outcomes

• Evaluate a historical question thematically.
• Compare and contrast a situation in different social and historical settings using a variety of source materials, and locate their analysis and conceptual awareness within an overall understanding of historical chronology.
• Communicate research findings and construct a coherent argument in a range of formats.