Guide in PDF format
Logo

Cultural History of the British Isles

Code: 106284
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
English Studies FB 1
English and Catalan Studies OB 2
English and Spanish Studies OB 2
English and French Studies OB 2
English and Classics Studies OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Noelia Sánchez Campos
Email :
noelia.sanchez.campos@uab.cat

Teaching staff (external to UAB)

Nicholas John Edwards

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There are no specific requirements for this subject BUT a level of C1 English is essential. 

Students should be able to understand and follow theoretical discussions of historical and cultural texts.

They should also be able to interact with native speakers and express their ideas and opinions without effort.

Objectives

The subject Cultural History of the British Isles provides an introduction to the main events and figures of British and Irish history and culture.  The main purpose of this subject is to prepare students to understand British and Irish society, which will help them to follow the remaining subjects in their degree.

After taking this subject students will be able to

  • Show that they have understood a variety of  texts
  • Use the historical and cultural resources of any library
  • Express an informed critique of any cultural or historical text they may read.

Learning outcomes

  1. Apply acquired concepts and methods to professional situations simulated in the classroom through problem solving and case simulation
  2. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  3. Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of compulsory texts on the cultural history of the British Isles and the United States.
  5. Express oneself in English, orally and in writing, in a formal register and using appropriate terminology in relation to the study of the cultural history of the British Isles and the United States.
  6. Demonstrate full comprehension of, and recognise implicit meaning in, a wide range of literary, audio-visual and essayistic texts related to aspects of current culture and society in English.
  7. Produce written and oral academic discourse with a fluency and accuracy appropriate to a proficient-user level (C1).
  8. Carry out bibliographic searches of secondary sources related to current culture and society in English and their textual representation, using digital technologies (catalogues and databases).
  9. Distinguish principal ideas from secondary ideas and synthesise literary, audiovisual and essayistic texts related to current culture and society in the English language, and their textual representation.
  10. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
  11. Actively participate in forums on the online learning platform.
  12. Express oneself fluently, correctly, appropriately and effectively, both orally and in writing, in an academic environment.
  13. Produce works in which the fundamental digital and bibliographic tools for the field of study are applied.
  14. Apply the acquired work planning methodologies to individual and group professional tasks.
  15. Locate and organise relevant English-language information available on the internet, databases and libraries, and apply this to work and/or research environments.
  16. Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
  17. Autonomously search, select and process information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  18. Take part in face-to-face and online debates in English on topics related to the culture and society in English and their representation in texts.
  19. Apply the work-organisation methodologies acquired to individual and group-based professional tasks.
  20. Participate in face-to-face and virtual discussions in English on topics related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  21. Distinguish principal ideas from secondary ideas and summarise literary, audiovisual and essayistic texts related to current culture and society in the English language and their textual representation.
  22. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  23. Discuss with critical arguments orally in the classroom primary and secondary sources dealing with current English language culture and society and their textual representation.
  24. Develop advanced-level critical arguments applied to the interpretation of primary and secondary sources dealing with current English-language culture and society and its textual representation.

Contents

This course is an introduction to the main historical and cultural events of Britain and Ireland from the early Celts to the present day, although the emphasis is on the modern and contemporary era. Among the topics discussed are:



  • The country (people, geography, infrastructures, communications, cultural practices)

  • The people (the early invasions, immigration, ethnic groups, identities)

  • The evolution of the institutions of the British Isles (Parliament, the Monarchy, the Church)

  • The formation of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)

  • Ireland (history, relations with England, its mythology)

  • Medieval Britain

  • Early Modern Britain

  • The Industrial Revolution

  • The Expansion of the British Empire

  • The 19th century and social reforms

  • The 20th century upto the end of World War II

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Personal study, individual reading of texts, use of bibliographical resources 40 1.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Lectures, readings and debates in class, group seminars 34 1.36 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Participation in Moodle forums, individual tutoring 15 0.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

The teaching methodolgy is based on:

  • Guided activities 
  • Supervised activities 
  • Autonomous activities 
  • Assessed activities 
Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Participation in Moodle forums, attendance and class participation 5% 21 0.84 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Mid-Course Exam 40% 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24
Final Exam 40% 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24
Group project 15% 20 0.8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24

Assessment for this course is based on the following:

  • Mid-Course Exam = 40%
  • Final Exam = 40%
  • Group project = 15%
  • Participation in forums, attendance and participation = 5%

ASSESSMENT:

  • This subject follows the system of continuous assessment.
  • All the exercises are COMPULSORY.
  • All students are required to: study the compulsory book for this subject, watch the recommended films, and contextualize the suggested texts for this course. Any indication that a student has not completed his/her work in this respect will affect his/her assessment in a negative way.
  • An exam not taken by the student will count as a 0 in that part.
  • Students have the right to review their exercises (including reassessment) with their teacher in a personal tutorial on the set dates.
  • The minimum pass mark for the whole subject is 5. Students are not obliged to pass each component in order to pass the course as long as they get a global 5 or above.
  • The student’s command of English (C1) will be taken into account when marking all exercises and for the final mark. In fact, \"English\" will count 25% of all the exercises.
  • The minimum mark for passing the course is 5. It is not obligatory to pass every component.
  • If a student gets a final continuous assessment grade of 4,9 that rounds up to 5.
  • To be elegible for re-assessment, students must previously have been assessed in activities accounting for at least two thirds of the total continuous assessment grade.


FEEDBACK DEADLINE

The maximum period for returnin grades and feedback on each assessment activity is three weeks.

The final average grade will be notified to students at least 72 before the re-assessment date.


SINGLE ASSESSMENT

This subject does not incorporate the single-assessment option.

REVIEW

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

REASSESSMENT:

  • Re-assessment for this subject requires a content-synthesis test, for which the following conditions are applicable:
  • The student must previously have submitted all of the course-assessment items, that is the two exams and the group project.
  • The student must previously have obtained an average overall grade equal to or higher than 3.5.


The activities that can be re-assessed are the two exams, both the mid-course and the final exam, which amount to 60% of the percentatge in this course.


Non-assessable

Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.

Erasmus students

Erasmus students who request to bring forward an exam or any other type of assessment activity must present the teacher with an official document from their home university justifying their request.

VERY IMPORTANT:

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

Bibliography

Obligatory textbook:

Grant, Reginald George. et al., History of Britain and Ireland. the Definitive Visual Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2013.

Secondary reading:

Ackroyd, Peter A History of England - Volumes I-V, London: Pan, 2012-2019.

Black, Jeremy, A History of the British Isles, London: Palgrave, 2012. 3rd edition

Bogdanor, Vernon, Devolution in the United Kingdom, Oxford: OUP, 2001.

Castor, Helen. She-Wolves: The Women who Ruled England before Elizabeth. Faber and Faber, 2011.

Dargie, Richard, A History of Britain. London: Arcturus, 2007

Duffy, Séan et al, Atlas of Irish History, Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 2000.

Ferguson, Niall, Empire. How Britain Made the Modern World, London: Penguin, 2004.

Gilbert, Martin, The Routledge Atlas of British History, 4th edition, London: Routledge, 2007.

Lacey, Robert, GreatTales from English History, London: Little, Brown, 2003.

Lang, Sean, British History for Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, 2004

Oakland, John, British Civilization , 7th edition, London: Routledge, 2010.

Mulholland, Marc, Northern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford UP, 2003.

Paseta,Senia, Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford Paperbacks,2003.

Strong, Roy, The Story of Britain, Pimlico, 1998.

Podcasts (available on various platforms)

The Rest is History

BBC History Extra

Dan Snow's History Hit

BBC In Our Time

Not Just the Tudors

Gone Medieval

Documentaries

Simon Schama -A History of Britain (BBC)

Andrew Marr - The Making of Modern Britain (BBC)

Feargal Keane - The Story of Ireland (BBC)

Neil Oliver - A History of Scotland (BBC)


Websites:

www.bbc.co.uk/history

http://www.islandguide.co.uk/history/nations1.htm

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

http://www.icons.org.uk/introduction

Software

No specific software will be used.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 English first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 3 English first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 English first semester morning-mixed