HIST 1109 - Revolutions that Changed the World

This course will look at some of the great 'turning points' of history that have shaped the world in which we live. This might include the Renaissance and Reformation of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the 'Scientific Revolution' of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, the 'Sexual Revolution' of the twentieth century, as well as great political revolutions such as the American, French, Russian and Chinese. Students will actively engage with the central question of why human history in the last 500 years has witnessed periods of profound transformation. Were they driven primarily by technological and economic developments, or were new ideas and philosophies the most important agents of rapid historical change? What role was played in these transformations by individuals and by governments? What exactly do we mean by the term 'revolution', and how legitimately can the word be applied to the events that we cover in this course? This course has three main objectives. Firstly, it will ask students to engage with some of most important debates about the factors that led to rapid historical change. Secondly, the course furnishes students with an overview of the 'big picture' of world history across the last 500 years. Students will acquire essential contextual knowledge which will enrich their understanding of almost any subsequent course they take in history or the humanities. Thirdly, the course will facilitate students' understanding of the world in which they live by exploring some of the key developments that have shaped our common history. The course allows for insights into our own rapidly changing era by exploring other revolutionary episodes in our past. Note: this course is very different from the 'revolutions' component of SACE.