Commodities, Consumption and Connections: the Global World of Things 1500-1800
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST2060 | History | 2 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST2060
- School
- History
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
The early modern period witnessed the birth of commodity culture and the transformation of the relationship between people and their material world. Expanding global trade networks and early colonial encounters brought a range of exotic products into early modern homes including spices, sugar, tea, tobacco, cotton, porcelain and mahogany, while the rise of capitalism and industrialisation revolutionised the manufacture and availability of necessities and luxuries across the social spectrum. The richness of this ‘new world of goods’ had profound consequences, transforming patterns of consumption, introducing new understandings of scientific knowledge and cultural production, and reshaping social identities and relationships based on class, gender and race.
This module takes advantage of a sweep of new interdisciplinary perspectives across a range of subject areas which have explored the role and significance of early modern 'things'. We will discuss a wide range of textual sources, including wills and inventories, account books, letters and diaries which tell us about expanding global connections, what people consumed and how they thought about their objects. We will also look at objects as primary sources, ranging from archaeological finds and museum collections to visual culture, portraits and prints. You will be taught the methods and skills needed to critically assess and interpret these different types of evidence with opportunities for detailed source analysis. By the end of the module, students will have gained a fresh and stimulating grounding of central themes in early modern history as well as a deeper understanding of the importance of looking at early modern Europe as part of a globalising world.
You will be assessed in two ways in this module; your first assessment will be a thematic academic essay, and your second assessment will be to curate and present a digital exhibition (containing objects and texts) with an accompanying narrative, based on a theme that you have researched. This will allow you to creatively explore written and visual communication for a non-specialist audience.
Target Students
History Level 2 students (single honours and joint honours); Archaeology Level 2 students (single and joint honours); Liberal Arts students.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 2500-word essay
- 50% Coursework 2: Individual digital project
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to introduce students to the transformation of the relationship between people and things in the early modern world. It is intended to help students achieve a more nuanced understanding of the increasing global interconnectedness of exchange and material culture between 1500 and 1800, with a focus on questions of consumption, cultural practices and social identities in early modern society. It will introduce students to a wide range of inter-disciplinary perspectives and methodologies including history, archaeology, anthropology and art history, combining textual and object-based approaches to enhance students’ intellectual and transferable skills.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
explain and interpret changing patterns of global exchange and material consumption in early modern societies between c.1500 and 1800
relate these trends to wider historical developments in early modern culture including ideas of colonialism, luxury and materiality, cultural and scientific knowledge, and social identities and relationships
demonstrate an awareness and understanding of historiographical and theoretical debates in the study of early modern material culture
Intellectual skills
By the end of the module students should be able to:
demonstrate an understanding of the value and challenges of inter-disciplinary approaches and methodologies for the study of early modern history
show an ability to reflect on and develop further interpretations put forward by scholars in a range of disciplines, and construct coherent arguments based on primary and secondary courses
Professional and practical skills
By the end of the module students should be able to:
demonstrate an ability to analyse both written texts and physical objects and visual sources as primary sources of evidence and contextualise them within wider historical and cultural formations
plan, research and produce a piece of independent research which combines a range of primary and secondary sources
Transferable skills
By the end of the module, student should be able to:
demonstrate their ability to use IT to access sources and evidence and to complete written assignments
develop oral skills through seminar participation
demonstrate improved communication skills through assessed coursework using both written and visual communication skills