The Modern World
Course dates: Thursday 29 April - Thursday 08 July 2027
Class timetable: 10 sessions (View class timetable for Thursday 29 April 2027 to Thursday 08 July 2027)
Timetable data for Thursday 29 April 2027 to Thursday 08 July 2027
| Day of class | Date of class | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 29-Apr-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 06-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 13-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 20-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 27-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 10-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 17-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 24-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 01-Jul-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Thursday | 08-Jul-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Fees: £1810.00
Availability: Limited
RegisterCourse Overview
The personalities of this era are rightly famous: Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Americas in 1492, Henry VIII’s notorious marriage troubles, Elizabeth I’s reputation as the ‘Virgin Queen’, Oliver Cromwell’s leadership in the British Civil Wars, and Louis XIV’s magnificent court at Versailles.
To understand why these individuals and events mattered, the Early Modern World, 1500-1800: Reformations and Revolutions short course explores the dramatic changes that swept through Britain, continental Europe and the wider world over these crucial 250 years.
Many of the ‘case studies’ that we will examine will be drawn from British history, but they will be firmly set in their wider European and global context. By the end of this course, you will understand how this period laid the foundations for so many things usually labelled ‘modern’: ethnic and religious diversity, civil rights and parliamentary democracy, global trade and a consumer economy, and the ‘modern world’ itself.
We plan to cover the following content:
People and beliefs
- Introduction: mapping early modern history
- People, land and cities: peasants and everyday life; nobilities; cities - the Rise of London
- Reformations: reformation movements; reformation from above - Henry VIII and the English Reformation; counter reformation and global Catholicism
- Women and men: gender and the family; witchcraft and magic; kingship and queenship - Elizabeth I, ‘The Virgin Queen’
Power and knowledge
- States and politics: states; princely courts; civil war and revolution - Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and the War of the Three Kingdoms
- Beyond Europe: imperial expansion; trade and colonial societies - the Atlantic slave trade; world empires
- Culture and knowledge: print and popular culture; Renaissance and Scientific Revolution; the public sphere and party politics - Whigs, Tories and the Glorious Revolution
- Conclusion: Enlightenment and the crisis of the Old Order
Assessment is via two 500-word reviews (20% each) and a 1500-word essay (60%).
As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.
This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:
Fees
Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.
Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee
If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.
Entry Requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This short course has no prerequisites.
As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
How to Register
You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.
If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.