Empire: 1492-1975
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| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Empires have had a remarkable impact on world history over the last five centuries. The six blocks of this course each focus on a particular question, from ‘What are empires?’ to ‘Why do empires end?’, considering the British Empire in detail before drawing comparisons with others, including those of France, the Netherlands, Russia, China and Spain. You’ll study a wide range of primary sources, including letters and diaries, newspapers, political papers, paintings, photographs and newsreel footage. The course is a natural choice if you have already studied Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900 (A200), and can be included in a range of degree programmes.
Course content
The development of the modern world has been shaped to an astonishing degree by empires. By the 1930s, for example, colonies and ex-colonies covered around 85 per cent of the land surface of the globe. Empires have precipitated some of the most brutal violence ever recorded, and yet the world as we know it would be unrecognisable without them. After all, English is an official language in countries as far apart as Botswana, India and Jamaica, not because of any intrinsic communicative merit, but rather because it was the language of the largest empire the world has ever known.
In this course, you’ll undertake comparative study of a range of empires. The history and significance of the British Empire is a thread running throughout the course, but you will also encounter the empires of France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, China and Russia. This comparative perspective will enable you to think analytically about what exactly constitutes an empire, and why they have proved such an enduring way of arranging human affairs.
In addition to this geographically comparative approach, the course considers the history of empires over a long period of time – roughly speaking, from Christopher Columbus’ first journey to the Americas in 1492 to the Portuguese withdrawal from its African colonies in the mid-1970s. Although you will not look at this entire period in the same level of detail, this broad time span enables the consideration of a range of fascinating issues – from the role of germs in the European conquest of South America to the armed struggle by which Algerians won independence during the 1950s (which proved to be beneficial for France but a disaster for Algeria).
To enable a valid comparative approach over such a broad geographical and temporal range, the teaching materials are tightly structured around a series of key questions – What are empires? How do empires begin and end? How are empires experienced? How do empires ‘work’? What are their legacies? The course also considers the ‘experience’ of empire and asks: what is (or was) it like living in an empire?
A326 places a lot of emphasis on the use of original primary-source materials. As you study this course, you will be provided with (and guided through) sources as diverse as personal diaries, journals and letters, government papers, newspaper articles, and visual material such as paintings, photographs and newsreel footage. In addition, a course DVD contains original archive footage of twentieth-century events such as the wars of decolonisation in Algeria, colonial exhibitions in Britain and interviews with those experiencing empire in Africa.
Entry
You are not required to have taken any other Open University course before this one. However, this is a Level 3 course. As such, it requires sound skills in analytical thought and essay writing, and the ability to assimilate and critique a diverse range of source materials. These skills are all taught in Level 2 history courses such as Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900 (A200). Thus, while there is no requirement for you to have completed Level 2 study prior to taking A326, it’s likely to be a distinct advantage. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
There is no prescribed preparatory work. However, you might wish to have a look at some of the popular treatments of the British Empire aimed a general reader, such as Niall Ferguson’s Empire. It might also be helpful to glance at broader histories of the topic, such as John Darwin’s After Tamerlane: The Global History of Empire, David Day’s Conquest, or Marc Ferro’s Colonization: A Global History. You will find helpful advice on study skills in The Arts Good Study Guide (E. Chambers & A. Northedge, The Open University).
Qualifications
A326 is an optional course in our
- BA (Honours) History (B01)
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03)
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03) (with History)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is suitable for a BA. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
In addition to the teaching and ancillary materials, one of the distinctive features of A326 is the online provision of a wide range of primary source materials (copies of original historical documents). It is intended that these documents will be available in Portable Document Format (PDF), as will any printed course materials. Some PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request.
Descriptions will be supplied for most images in the teaching units and the visual sources book. However, the course will include the study of a number of maps and, due to their complexity, audio descriptions of these cannot be provided. In addition, some exercises in the course will be based on viewing footage on the course DVD. However, the parts of the course involving viewing maps and the course DVD are sufficiently few to ensure that students who are unable to complete these sections of the teaching materials will still be able to complete the course successfully. Written transcripts of any audio and DVD components will be available.
Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed material, DVD and audio CD.
You will need
You will need access to DVD and audio CD players (or a computer with DVD and CD drives) at various points during the course.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material, and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance at any point in the course. There will also be structured tuition (a mix of face-to-face and online tutorials, and face-to-face day schools) that you are encouraged, but not required, to participate in. The location of the day schools and the mix of online/face-to-face tuition may vary according to the distribution of students taking the course. Your nearest regional or national centre can also provide you with both general and specialist help with your studies.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2010. We expect it to be available once year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
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An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities.
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