WEA Course Information Sheet 2013-14

Course title: World History: Crisis and Decision from Thermopylae to Suez
Course reference: C2416934 / Tutor(s): Robert Vidler
Venue:Petts Wood Memorial Hall, 200 Petts Wood Rd, BR5 1LA / Fee: £158.00
Concession: free on proof of Income Related Benefit
Start date 19th Sept 2013 / End date: 17th March 2014 / Day(s)/time(s): 10.15am
Number of sessions : 20 / Hours per session: 2 / Level: 2
Title of qualification to be gained (if any): This is a non-accredited course. On 80% attendance you can request a WEA Certificate of Achievement
Awarding body (if any): N/A
Essential materials
Notepad and pen / pencil
Course aims: To give the students an understanding of how the various conflicts and crisis moments examined, formed and changed the history of the world. To attempt an understanding of the issues involved and the part played by the key actors together with the role of technologies and the impact of political, social and cultural factors.
Course description:
A selection of 20 case studies of various conflicts from the Ancient World through to the mid 20th century, in which the various factors impacting on the Crisis moment and its subsequent resolution will be examined.
Any prior knowledge or entry requirements?
There is no prior knowledge required other than an interest in the past and the interpretations of the past, which people call history.
Course content: what topics will the course cover?
The Greek-Persian Wars, the Punic Wars, the Fall of the Roman Republic, 1066 two invasions, the end of the Plantagenet dynasty, 17th century Anglo-Dutch rivalry, the Duke of Marleborough, the Jacobite Rising 1745, the American War of Independence, Wellington in the Peninsular, the unknown factor in the Crimean War, Britain, Egypt and the Sudan 1798-1899, the Anglo Boer War, the genesis of theTank, the Origins of the Second World War, the U-boat war, the Bombing of Germany, the survival of Malta 1942, the Eastern Front in WW II, A Bridge too Far: Arnhem, Wingate and the Chindits in Burma, the Fall of Berlin 1945, the Malayan Emergency 1948-60, Dien Bien Phu Indo China 1954, The Suez Crisis 1956.
This list of 25 possible topics will be discussed with the students and they will be able to pick the 20 that they are most interested in, (one for each of the sessions in the course).
Teaching, learning and assessment methods: tick those to be used ü
Demonstration / Discussion / ü / Group work / ü / Individual work
Project work / Research / ü / Role play / ü / Written work
Question and answer / ü / Activity outside class time / Observation / Practical work
Presentation / ü / Field trip / Other (state): showing Film clips ü
How will I receive feedback on my learning progress and achievement?
You will be able to gauge your progress during the discussions and during the completion of the group questionnaires, which are not tests, but are used to generate discussion and to identify any areas which have not been properly understood, and then lead to clarification.
Your Learning Record will ask you to consider how far you feel you have progressed.
Learning outcomes: these are the intended outcomes and may be revised in discussion with the class. Students are encouraged to think about and identify their own individual outcomes.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. / Describe the effect of at least Four innovative weapons, on the conflicts in which they were first used.
2. / Construct a basic timeline that places the events examined, in their correct historical sequence.
3. / List the main social and economic factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic.
4. / State some of the reasons why the cause of Restoring the Stuart monarchy was linked to Roman Catholicism, and why this was seenas a negative factor.
5. / Say why the debate in the House of Commons on the7th and 8th May 1940, concerning the Conduct of the War, was perhaps, one of the most decisive to have taken place in the British Parliament.
6. / Individual: Optional LearnerOutcome, of the students own choice.
Reading and information sources:
A suggested reading list will be provided at the start of the course and students may wish to deepen their knowledge of the case studies contained in the course by reading some of the literature mentioned. But this is not essential.
Suggestions for progression to further study or for using the skills and knowledge gained:
Those students who wish to continue with studies connected with the subject matter of the course should consult the tutor; he will advise them based on his assessment of their interests and his knowledge of the possible routes that are available