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Semester 1

The Great Irish Famine 1845-1852: Hunger, Modernity and Exile (HIST10362)

Subject

History

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed 3 History courses at grade B or above, and please note that we will only consider courses with a specific focus on History (not including History of Art) towards these pre-requisites. We will only consider University/College level courses. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

Over one million people died during the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1852 and at least another million people emigrated, most destined for North America. Ireland, then a part of the United Kingdom, witnessed terrible suffering and widespread death and disease. This course explores how this happened, and what the consequences were for Ireland and other countries across the globe.

Course Description

What happened in Ireland during the terrible years of the Great Irish Famine is the subject of much debate among historians, not least because of the vexed question: who, if anyone, was responsible for this appalling tragedy? This course explores issues of causation and responsibility, as well as the social, political and economic dimensions of the Irish crisis. How many people died, what kinds of people died, and indeed was the famine inevitable? How does the Irish experience compare with famines elsewhere? And lastly, what was the subsequent significance of this crucial event for Irish-British relations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?

Assessment Information

Written Exam 40%, Coursework 40%, Practical Exam 20%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a History or HCA exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in two 3rd year History courses each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. This includes courses in Economic History and Scottish History. Enrolment in a third course from this group will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the September Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

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