• Offered by School of History
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Classification Transitional
  • Course subject History
  • Areas of interest History
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Course convener
    • Dr Gemma Betros
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Co-taught Course
  • Offered in Second Semester 2014
    See Future Offerings

The French Revolution was a defining episode in modern European history. This course examines the revolutionary period from the end of the Old Regime through to the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. It assesses the origins, development, and significance of the French Revolution and investigates the nature of Napoleonic rule and its impact upon Europe and the wider world.  Participants will be introduced to a range of primary sources, including petitions, political speeches, newspapers, memoirs and paintings, and will have the opportunity to explore in-depth such topics as the formation of nation states, the rights of the individual, the Terror, and the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. No knowledge of French is required for this course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Explain the origins and development of the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule.
  2. Demonstrate an in-depth appreciation of key historiographical and theoretical interpretations of the revolutionary and Napoleonic periods.
  3. Locate and interpret primary sources to generate insights into the past.
  4. Analyse primary and secondary sources to construct evidence-based arguments about the revolutionary and Napoleonic periods.
  5. Evaluate the political, social and cultural legacies of the revolutionary and Napoleonic periods for France, Europe and the wider world
  6. Design and complete a research essay on some aspect of the French Revolution and/or Napoleonic rule.

Indicative Assessment

Tutorial participation (10%) [addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6].

2000 word essay (30%) [addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6].

4000 word essay (60%) [addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6].

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

A weekly lecture of 2 hours, and a weekly tutorial of one hour. In addition, students should expect to spend an average of 7 hours per week over the course of the semester preparing for class activities, researching and writing essays, and studying for the exam (Total of 130 hours over the semester).

Prescribed Texts

Noah Shusterman, The French Revolution. Faith, desire, and politics (London & New York: Routledge, 2014); Alan Forrest, Napoleon (London: Quercus, 2012); Philip G. Dwyer and Peter McPhee (eds), The French Revolution and Napoleon: a sourcebook (London & New York: Routledge, 2002).

Preliminary Reading

Paul R. Hanson, Contesting the French Revolution (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2009).

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Students continuing in their current program of study will have their tuition fees indexed annually from the year in which you commenced your program. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee Description
1994-2003 $1542
2014 $2478
2013 $2472
2012 $2472
2011 $2424
2010 $2358
2009 $2286
2008 $2286
2007 $2286
2006 $2286
2005 $2286
2004 $1926
International fee paying students
Year Fee
1994-2003 $3618
2014 $3762
2013 $3756
2012 $3756
2011 $3756
2010 $3750
2009 $3618
2008 $3618
2007 $3618
2006 $3618
2005 $3618
2004 $3618
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
8879 21 Jul 2014 08 Aug 2014 31 Aug 2014 30 Oct 2014 In Person N/A

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