Studying at York
Subjects & Citizens: The People in English Political Thought, 1509-1688 - HIS00094C
- Department: History
- Module co-ordinator: Dr. William White
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
The period between the death of Henry VII and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was one of the most significant and eventful in English political history. This module explores how changing ideas about the role of “the people” in politics both helped to shape, and were shaped by, the dramatic reformations, rebellions, and revolutions that shook the English nation during this period.
Whether emboldened or alarmed by these upheavals, the early modern English were increasingly moved to debate, and in many cases reimagine entirely, the proper relationship between the people and their rulers. Were individuals best thought of as subjects or citizens? What were their rights and duties with regards to political participation? What was the connection between individual self-rule and the government of a commonwealth? To what extent did there exist a ‘public’ who should be courted and consulted by those in authority? Could women ever be included in this category? Although many theorists hoped to minimise civil discord by answering these questions, the resulting debates in fact frequently provoked considerable contemporary conflict and controversy.
The module will introduce students to some of the central developments in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century political thought. We will focus particularly on themes of citizenship, gender, commonwealth, popular sovereignty, and public politics. Students will analyse the ideas of specific thinkers in detail, reflect on how and why historians have disagreed in their interpretations of key texts, and formulate their own independent readings. They will thus develop skills of close textual analysis and at the same time refine their ability to situate some of the period’s most significant political ideas in historical context.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To give an intensive introduction to an unfamiliar period and/or approach to the study of history;
- To offer experience in the use of primary source materials;
- To develop skills in analysing historiography; and
- To develop core skills such as: bibliographical search techniques; source analysis; essay writing; giving presentations; and, undertaking independent research.
Module learning outcomes
Students who complete this module successfully will:
- Acquire an insight into an unfamiliar period and/or approach to history through intensive study of an aspect of the period and/or an approach to it;
- Gain experience of analysing primary source materials;
- Be able to evaluate an historical explanation;
- Have further developed work undertaken in the Autumn Term lecture courses and skills portfolios, including historical analysis, note-taking, using primary sources, presenting to groups, and leading discussions in seminars;
- Be able to construct a coherent historical argument in oral and written forms
Module content
Teaching Programme:
Teaching will be in weekly 2-hour seminars taught over nine weeks, plus an overview and revision session in Week 2 of Summer Term. Each week students will do reading and preparation in order to be able to contribute to discussion.
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:
-
Introductory session
-
Tudor Rebellions and the Idea of Commonwealth
-
Patriarchy, Government, and the Divine Right of Kings
-
Humanism and Citizenship: Sir Thomas More’s Utopia
-
Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan and the Origins of Political Society
-
Levellers, Radicals, and Popular Sovereignty
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John Milton and English Republicanism
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Popular Politics and the ‘Public Sphere’, 1640-1688
-
The Sexual Contract? Gender and Political Participation in Early Modern England
Indicative assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled) Open Exam - Subjects and Citizens |
8 hours | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Formative work:
During the Spring Term students will prepare a presentation in pairs or small groups. Tutors will determine the formative work for the course: all groups will present on a primary source. Formative work will be completed in one or more sessions at the tutor’s discretion.
Summative assessment:
An open exam in the Common Assessment Period, comprising one essay question chosen from five options
Indicative reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled) Open Exam - Subjects and Citizens |
8 hours | 100 |
Module feedback
Following their formative assessment task, students will typically receive written feedback that will include comments and a mark within 10 working days of submission.
Work will be returned to students in their discussion groups and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their procedural work with their tutor (or module convenor) during student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.
For the summative assessment task, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 20 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.
Indicative reading
For term time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:
Glenn Burgess, British Political Thought, 1500-1660: The Politics of the Post-Reformation. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Richard Tuck, Philosophy and Government, 1572–1651. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.