AMS-30043 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

After the American Revolution (ca. 1775-1783) and the year before the ratification of the American Constitution (1788), Founding Father Alexander Hamilton considered the role of violence in the new political experiment of the American nation,
It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have
been reserved to the people of this country to decide,
by their conduct and example, the important question,
whether societies of men are really capable or not, of
establishing good government from reflection and
choice, or whether they are forever destined to
depend, for their political constitutions, on accident
and force.
(First appeared as `General Introduction¿ in The
Independent Journal, October 27, 1787 and later as
The Federalist, No. 1, 1788)

In this module, you will explore the ways in which antebellum America became reliant upon the use of force. You will take an in-depth look at the expansion of slavery, removal of Native Americans and 1850s political violence. In doing so, you will consider violence as a mechanism of social control and political power in nineteenth-century America: How did state and non-state actors use violence to secure their social and political agendas? How did individuals express agency and resistance within institutions of power? How were the politics of race, gender and sex manipulated to justify the use of violence?
In terms of methodology, you will consider interdisciplinary approaches and incorporate sources from literary and historical studies, as well as from `history from above¿ and `history from below¿ perspectives.
At its core, this module seeks to answer a fundamental and hotly debated question in early American history: How `exceptional¿ was nineteenth-century America¿s culture of violence?

This module aims to enhance students¿ evidence-based knowledge and analytical skills in its examination of the relationship between violence and power in nineteenth-century America.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate a firm understanding of current approaches to and debates surrounding the history of nineteenth-century America: 1,2
Demonstrate an understanding of the longer term historical questions of continuity and discontinuity in American history: 1,2
Demonstrate an ability to use and reflect critically upon a range of relevant primary and secondary material: 1,2
Demonstrate an ability to collect and analyse relevant historical evidence to produce appropriate arguments both oral and written: 1,2
Demonstrate an ability to work independently and collaboratively: 1,2

Study hours

24 hours seminars (2 hour weekly seminar, weeks 1-12)
12 hours workshops
68 hours preparation for seminars (including group presentation)
46 hours preparation for and completion of the essay

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment