AIH389 - The French Revolution and the Struggle for Freedom
Unit details
Year: | 2020 unit information |
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Important Update: | Classes and seminars in Trimester 2/Semester 2, 2020 will be online. Physical distancing for coronavirus (COVID-19) will affect delivery of other learning experiences in this unit. Please check your unit sites for announcements and updates one week prior to the start of your trimester or semester. Last updated: 2 June 2020 |
Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
Credit point(s): | 1 |
EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Filip Slaveski |
Prerequisite: | Nil |
Corequisite: | Nil |
Incompatible with: | AIH289 |
Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
Scheduled learning activities - campus: | 1 x 1-hour class per week, and 1 x 1-hour seminar per week |
Scheduled learning activities - cloud: | 1 x 1-hour class per week (recordings provided), 1 x 1-hour online seminar per week. |
Content
The French Revolution of 1789 was, above all, a struggle for freedom, as the people rose against a despotic monarchy and an oppressive social system to demand their natural rights to liberty and equality. But what did freedom mean to the people? How was freedom given substance in the political structures of the new, revolutionary regime? This unit will study the meaning of freedom from the Enlightenment and the American Revolution to its influence on the emerging revolutionary mentality of late-eighteenth France. It will examine how the revolutionary struggle between the monarchy, nobility, church and the bourgeoisie saw freedom realised. Freedom was expressed in a statement of rights, which declared that all men were born free and equal. Freedom then had to be defended and protected. And freedom had limits. Were women truly free? Could Jews and Protestants be free in a Catholic country? Could a revolution based on freedom justify the abomination of slavery? What did freedom mean for the people if their society remained profoundly unequal in wealth and power? This unit will explore these questions. It will examine the struggle for freedom as a great social struggle with a profound legacy that still resonates today.
| These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | |
ULO1 | Engage in critical analysis of historical texts and sources | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
ULO2 | Critically compare and analyse historical interpretations and approaches employed by different historians | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
ULO3 | Integrate the analysis of historical sources into broader historical explanations | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
ULO4 | Develop a coherent argument based on evidence obtained by self-directed research through the use of print and on-line bibliographical resources | GLO3: Digital literacy GLO4: Critical thinking GLO6: Self-management |
ULO5 | Argue ideas and interpretations clearly and succinctly | GLO2: Communication GLO7: Teamwork |
ULO6 | Articulate a coherent argument in response to specific problems | GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking |
These Unit Learning Outcomes are applicable for all teaching periods throughout the year
Assessment
Trimester 2:Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
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Assessment 1 (Individual) - 3 x Seminar/Online Exercises | 2000 words | 50% | Ongoing |
Assessment 2 (individual) - Essay | 2000 words | 50% | Week 11 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning Resource
The texts and reading list for the unit can be found on the University Library via the link below: AIH389 Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
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