Last modified: 20 Jun 2025 15:13
In his celebrated essay on the 1960s, Frederic Jameson describes the decade in terms of a ‘global unbinding of energies’. Jameson’s accenting of transnational dynamics in political, cultural and social change is helpful far beyond that storied decade. This course asks students to consider the modern period more generally as being characterised by a similar unleashing of ‘global energies’: that is, by the formation of cultures and politics beneath and beyond the nation-state.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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In his celebrated essay on the 1960s, Frederic Jameson describes the decade in terms of a ‘global unbinding of energies’. Jameson’s accenting of transnational dynamics in political, cultural and social change is helpful far beyond that storied decade. This course encourages students to consider much of the modern period as being characterised by similarly ‘global energies’: that is, by the formation of cultures and politics beneath and beyond the nation-state.
This course will consist of a series of seminars led by specialists dealing with transnational approaches to modern history. They will give students the opportunity to consider different ways in which internationalisation has occurred in the modern world and will introduce debates over how to understand it. On the course, we will reflect on fundamental questions, including: how is the idea of “global history” related to colonial processes of globalisation? What different forms has “globalisation” taken, and who have been its key agents? How are our understandings of major events in modern history altered when we look at them through a transnational lens?
The course is organised around key themes, which are each interrogated in different geographic contexts. The themes explored include: religion, peace and conflict; political thought in global vernaculars; popular culture and collective identities; empire and its aftermaths. These themes are explored in a range of geographic contexts, including the modern Middle East, the Americas, and Europe.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 16 | Feedback Weeks | 17 | |
| Feedback |
In the final week of taught material, a course conference will be organised by the coordinator. As part of the conference, students will present on primary source materials that relate to one of the core themes addressed in the course seminars. These presentations will be around 15 minutes in length. It will rely on students’ independent research, and will test their understanding of the course’s wider challenges. Students’ marks will be determined by the quality of their presentation and the collegiality with which they approach the presentations of their peers (respectful and attentive listening, engaged and interested questioning, constructive contributions to discussion).
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Offer evidenced and historically grounded analyses and arguments about core topics on the course. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Evaluate existing scholarship which attempts to introduce, and debate, concepts related to transnational history. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand how transnational cultural and political dynamics have shaped the modern world. |
| Factual | Remember | Develop knowledge about transnational cultural and political dynamics in the modern world. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop reflective and critical scholarship by considering the ways that claims to knowledge are bounded and shaped by lived experience and social position. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 19 | Feedback Weeks | 22 | |
| Feedback |
4,000-word essay on one of the course’s themes, demonstrating substantive engagement with scholarship.
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Word Count | 4000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Offer evidenced and historically grounded analyses and arguments about core topics on the course. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Evaluate existing scholarship which attempts to introduce, and debate, concepts related to transnational history. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand how transnational cultural and political dynamics have shaped the modern world. |
| Factual | Remember | Develop knowledge about transnational cultural and political dynamics in the modern world. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop reflective and critical scholarship by considering the ways that claims to knowledge are bounded and shaped by lived experience and social position. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 75 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 38 | Feedback Weeks | 41 | |
| Feedback |
4,500-word essay. A pass mark for the presentation will count alongside the resit mark for the essay. |
Word Count | 4500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 38 | Feedback Weeks | 41 | |
| Feedback |
Students will upload a recorded 10-minute presentation, featuring an original piece of research on a topic of their choice that fits with the themes of the course. Their mark will be determined by the quality of their presentation. A pass mark for the essay can count alongside the resit mark for the presentation. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Remember | Develop knowledge about transnational cultural and political dynamics in the modern world. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand how transnational cultural and political dynamics have shaped the modern world. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Offer evidenced and historically grounded analyses and arguments about core topics on the course. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Evaluate existing scholarship which attempts to introduce, and debate, concepts related to transnational history. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop reflective and critical scholarship by considering the ways that claims to knowledge are bounded and shaped by lived experience and social position. |
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