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The Impact of Empire 1815-1914

Course description     

In 1914 the British empire contained a population of over 400 million people and was territorially the largest empire in world history. While the British spread their ideas about government, language, religion, and culture to their colonies, Britain itself was also profoundly influenced by the colonies it ruled. This course will explore aspects of the impact of the Empire on British politics, economics, society, and popular culture during the 19th century. Among the topics to be covered are the anti-slavery movement, imperialism and new imperialism, jingoism and popular culture, economic responses, and the influence of imperialism on culture and the arts. The myriad resources of London will be used to provide specific examples of how important the Empire was in shaping British identity and institutions during the 19th century.

The course combines lectures and classroom discussion with historical walks and field trips, in order to establish a connection with Britain’s imperial history that surveys its physical and cultural traces in contemporary Britain. Required readings have been set for each week and students are expected to come to class or on trips ready to discuss the readings. As this is a writing intensive course, learning will be assessed through written assignments, and there will be plenty of opportunities to work on and develop your writing, but class participation will be a factor in assessment too.

Below is the course syllabus, lecture slides, handouts, and guides to the walks and gallery/museum classes I ran.

Course syllabusDownload
Wk1. A Brief history of the British Empire, 1600-1814Download
Wk1. British Museum trip outlineDownload
Wk2. SlaveryDownload
Wk2. Slavery handoutDownload
Wk2. Museum of London Docklands outlineDownload
Wk2. Slavery museum handoutDownload
Wk3. ConsumptionDownload
Wk3. Consumption handoutDownload
Wk3. V&A trip outlineDownload
Wk4. IndiaDownload
Wk4. India handoutDownload
Wk4. National Army Museum outlineDownload
Wk5. PovertyDownload
Wk5. Poverty HandoutDownload
Wk5. Whitechapel walkDownload
Wk6. Colony and Metropole. Sherlock HolmesDownload
Wk6. Sherlock Holmes handoutDownload
Wk7. The Scramble for AfricaDownload
Wk7. Africa handoutDownload
Wk7. Greenwich trip outlineDownload
Wk8. Art against EmpireDownload
Wk8. Art against empire handoutDownload
Wk8. William Morris gallery outlineDownload
Wk9. From War to WindrushDownload
Wk9. From War to Windrush handoutDownload
Wk9. Notting Hill walkDownload
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