In the French Revolution there was an unprecedented overthrow and dismantling of Absolutist royal authority, and the attempt by the revolutionaries to create a new society based on 'liberty, equality, and fraternity'. Moderate reform was followed by war, the abolition of the monarchy, the declaration of a Republic and the period of the 'Terror'. Napoleon's rise to power was meteoric and led to a Napoleonic Empire that at its height dominated much of Europe and the introduction of the Napoleonic 'Code'. The module considers the causes, course and outcomes of the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon and the formation of the Napoleonic Empire, including the Egyptian campaign and its 'civilising mission'. The military and civil strengths of the Empire are studied, before analysing forms of resistance and the reasons for the eventual fall of Napoleon in 1815.
In the topic assignment students can follow up a topic in more depth from the module content; for the sources assignment there is a choice of source documents, written and visual, with guidance on how to provide a historical commentary on them.

The topic assignment (2,500 words, 70%) is an essay chosen from a selection that requires research, critical reflection, the construction of an argument responding to the question as well as planning, drafting and referencing. This assesses learning outcomes Knowledge & Understanding, Learning, Analysis, Application, Communication.

The sources assignment (1,000 words, 30%) entails the critical analysis of primary source materials and requires both research contextual understanding and critical analysis in terms of their context, content, validity, reliability, and insight (1,000 words, 30%) specifically evaluates learning outcomes Knowledge & Understanding, Communication.

Key Information Set Data:
100% Coursework

Workshops introduce the main themes and arguments of the module content together with discussion and analysis of a range of written and visual source materials. The independent study element should be used for background reading, reading for the workshops, and research and preparation of the written assignments.

1. DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CAUSES, COURSE AND OUTCOMES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, OF THE RISE OF NAPOLEON, THE CREATION OF THE NAPOLEONIC EMPIRE AND ITS DEMISE.
Knowledge & Understanding

2. SHOW AN AWARENESS OF DEBATES ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON.

Learning

3. DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO RESEARCH PARTICULAR TOPICS AND THEMES ABOUT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON, INCLUDING USE OF PRIMARY SOURCES THAT MAY BE BOTH WRITTEN AND VISUAL.

Analysis

4. SHOW COMPETENCE IN ACADEMIC WRITING AND APPLYING APPROPRIATE REFERENCING CONVENTIONS.

Application
Communication

Library for books, journals, newspapers and periodicals including subscription online resources such as Blackwell Reference Online and Oxford Reference Online.
Teaching space with digital projection facilities.
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.

Nigel Aston, The French Revolution 1789-1804: Authority, Liberty and the Search for Stability (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004)

Paul R. Hanson, Contesting the French Revolution (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) [Series: Contesting the Past]

Alan Forrest, Napoleon (Quercus, 2011)

Charles Esdailem, Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815 (Penguin, 2008)

Peter McPhee & Philip Dwyer (Eds.), The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Sourcebook (Routledge, 2002)