University of Botswana History Department

HIS 435 Index Page

British History

Lecturer: Dr B. S. Bennett, email bennett@mopipi... [Click here for full email address]

Timetable for this semester: (first semester 2008-9):

HIS435   MWF 1400   204-1

Course outline

British history is highly relevant to that of Africa. To understand colonial history, a grasp of the political, cultural and social factors in Britain that influenced colonial rule is very valuable; while a knowledge of British political history gives a much greater understanding of the political institutions (based on those of Britain) now found all over the world.

The course will cover British history from ancient times to the present, but with more emphasis on social and political history of the modern period. The emphasis will be on providing an understanding of British history relevant to African and world history.

Part I. Overview of British history from ancient times to the present (in progressively more detail as we approach the present). A general knowledge of British history is necessary for the rest of the course, and students will be tested on the content of this part of the course.

Part II. Modern Britain

Noting in particular significance for the rest of the world:

Society, including the family, social class etc.
Industrialization and urbanization
Town and country
State and nation(s)
Parliamentary government, politics, law, liberties
Religion

Books

Textbook: There is no textbook for this course. Information will be given about relevant Library books, some of which will be on reserve.

Other pages:

Time-line of elections and prime ministers in twentieth-century Britain.
Guide to essay-writing. This includes detailed notes on how to write footnotes. See also the Quick-reference guide to writing footnotes for a short summary. If you are word-processing your essay, please see the page on word processing history essays which shows the correct way to insert footnotes (and also has some other information on how to avoid problems and errors).

Other sites:

For resources on the British Empire, see the British Empire Gateway by Dr Jane Samson, University of Alberta.