HIS8145 : The First Information Revolution? Print Culture and the Public Sphere in Early Modern Europe
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Rachel Hammersley
- Lecturer: Dr Katie East, Dr Simon Mills, Dr Adam Morton
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The rise of the internet, digital and social media has brought about what has been described as an information revolution. This has transformed the ways in which we engage with each other and share information. Four hundred years ago a similar revolution occurred in Europe following the invention of the printing press and the subsequent expansion in the production and circulation of printed material. This module offers an opportunity to explore this important cultural transformation and its impact on European society.
The module will consider the explosion of print in the early modern period (c.1500-1800) from the perspective of authors, editors, translators, printers, craftsman, and readers. The module draws on staff expertise in early modern print culture, translations, and visual culture. Through collaboration with the Philip Robinson Library, students will have opportunities to interact directly with early modern material held in Special Collections. They will also be able to draw on the database of early modern British printed images (http://www.bip1700.org.uk) which is hosted by Newcastle University.
Aims:
- To introduce students to the theme of the production of and engagement with print in the early modern period.
- To provide opportunities for them to explore and research this topic through direct engagement with and analysis of a range of primary sources.
- To guide them in engaging with the broader historiographical debates around literacy, print culture, and the public sphere.
- To encourage them to think about books from this period as material objects that were produced as a result of collaborative partnerships between authors, editors, printers, craftsmen, and readers.
Outline Of Syllabus
Topics may include:
- The Printing Revolution
- The Public Sphere
- Books as Material Objects
- Editions and Translations
- Images and Texts.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 64 | 1:00 | 64:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 32 | 1:00 | 32:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 50 | 1:00 | 50:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Seminars encourage independent study and promote improvements in oral communication, problem-solving skills and adaptability. Seminars at MA level allow students to share perspectives in their reading and personal research interests as well as to engage in advanced-level critical discussion of the problems and issues surrounding the theme under review.
Workshops provide students with practical experience of engaging with, analysing, and interpreting primary material including original copies of early modern books and images. They will have opportunities to interact with each other, academics, and library professionals while working with the materials. A workshop directed towards the assessment will help students to prepare for that task.
Surgery time provides the opportunity for students to have individual discussions with staff regarding their assessment for the module. This means that individual problems can be picked up on and dealt with in advance of submission.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj | 2 | M | 40 | Explanatory text (750 words) presenting an item from Special Collections or a local archive for a shared online exhibition using Story Mapping or Omega software. |
| Essay | 2 | A | 60 | Final 3,000 word thematic essay. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | Essay plan of c.250 words. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The Explanatory Exhibition Text provides the students with an opportunity to demonstrate the specific skills they will have developed on the course. These include careful analysis of primary sources (taking account not just of their content, but also of material features), the presentation of key information to a general audience, and the use of relevant software to do so.
The Final Essay allows students to demonstrate the knowledge they have gained from the module and to reflect on some of the general themes that have been explored. It also tests their abilities to conduct research and summarise a wealth of material in a succinct and articulate fashion.
The formative essay plan helps students to present a strong essay and to think about argument and structure in advance.
Work submitted during the delivery of the module forms a means of determining student progress. Submitted work tests knowledge outcomes and develops skills in research, reading and writing'.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- HIS8145's Timetable