General provisions

The course is a self-contained course and a programme course within the Master's Programme in Early modern studies.

Entry requirements

Admission to a magister/master programme within the faculty of arts or a Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish degree of at least 180 credits (i.e. three years of full-time studies), in history studies. Proficiency in English.

Learning outcomes

The student will:

- acquire up-to-date knowledge of the present state of research on the construction of collective identity and individualism in the early modern period.

Competences

The student will be able to:

- critically evaluate and apply different theoretical and conceptual perspectives employed in studies of identities and selfes in the early modern period

- to define research topics suitable to contribute to historical knowledge, and to analyse the topics and present the analyses in concise and comprehensible ways

- to use and draw conclusions from primary sources

Content

The purpose of the course is for students to gain a critical understanding of how categories such as nation, gender, race, religion and class structured the individual's scope of action in the early modern period, as well as her understanding of herself and her world. Students will also explore and critically evaluate the notion that humans went from a collective understanding of themselves into an individualistically based understanding in the course of the early modern period.

Instruction

The course will consist of a number combined lectures and seminars and/or tutorials focusing on specific themes and questions. Seminar discussions will be based on mandatory literature list and primary sources.

Assessment

Assessment will include active participation in all seminars, writing and presentation of papers. Grades will be given in accordance with the Swedish grading system. The following grades will be used: Pass with distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Failed (U).