HIS2311 ¨C The Industrialization of Europe

Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Prerequisites

• Overlapping courses
• Teaching
• Examination
• Evaluation

Course content

The primary goal of this course is to introduce you to the history of industrialization in Europe from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. We will consider the broad economic and social changes of industrialization as well as the role of technological development. The course will cover the classic Industrial Revolution which took place in Britain during the period 1760-1830 and the way its history has been told, but it will focus extensively on the different experiences and shape of industrialization as it unfolded across Europe. By the end of the course, you should have not only an overview of historical developments in European industrialization but also an understanding of the debates among scholars as they attempt to explain a very complex phenomenon.

A common question is whether the industrialization of Europe emerged as one process or several. Was the development of each country unique or part of a common European process? Did Great Britain serve as the main source of technology, capital, and industrial competence? Or did the social, political, and institutional environment of each country create different paths? The course debates questions of this kind by comparing different European countries, Great Britain, France, and Germany in particular. Lastly, we consider European developments in the context of global history: when did Europe ¡®forge ahead¡¯ of other continents, and why?

Courses which are particularly well suited complements to this course are:

• HIS2156 ¨C Den industrielle revolusjon (discontinued)
• HIS2171 ¨C Diverging paths: social and economic development in the West and the East since c. 1700
• HIS2312 ¨C Verdens?konomiens globalisering p? 1900-tallet (discontinued)
• HIS2313 ¨C The Social and Economic History of Modern Norway (discontinued)

Learning outcome

The course introduces both factual knowledge and analytical perspectives to the history of industrial development in Europe from the onset of the ¡°first industrial revolution¡± in the mid-eighteenth century until around 1920.

Students who have successfully completed the course will know the main features of industrialization, including developments within a wide range of industries and the social, technological and economic contexts within which they were developed. They will also know the different approaches to the study of industrialization that historians have adopted, within fields such as economics, history of technology and social history, and they will thereby be familiar with the central concepts, interpretations, and scholarly debates historians have brought to the analysis of European industrialization. Students will be able to appreciate global aspects of the European experience of industrialization.

The course will assist students¡¯ skills development in the areas of critical reading, independent thinking, and academic writing, and students should be able to communicate their knowledge orally as well as in writing.

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

General university entrance requirements