Aims

The module aims to take students through the key trends and historiographical debates concerning the impact of plague in early modern England, placing the use and interpretation of primary sources at the core of their experience.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module will provide students with an in-depth study of the impact of plague epidemics in early modern England. Topics studied will include an introduction to plague, death and disease in early modern England;
Bubonic Plague: the nature of the disease and its history; Plague demography: counting plague in early modern England; Plague in London before 1665 ; Samuel Pepys and the last ‘Great Plague’ 1665; Plague in towns: Ralph Tailor’s Summer: Plague in Newcastle; Plague in the countryside: the Roses of Eyam?; Plague: Counter measures and social control; Plague and religion: God’s scourge?; Plague and medicine: doctors and plague ; The disappearance and feared return of plague: Defoe’s Journal of the Plague Year

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

As a special subject, aside from an in-depth understanding of the content of the module, the teaching methods, which focus on small group work, independent research and writing, relate to the core learning outcomes of supporting students in developing sophisticated research skills across a wide range of sources, being able to synthesise the information they collect and form convincing and coherent arguments.

Online asynchronous lecture materials impart core knowledge and an outline of knowledge that students are expected to acquire and they stimulate the development of listening and note-taking skills. They explain historical concepts and set out historical debates and problems. They introduce a range of source material and set out historical debates and problems. The online lectures introduce knowledge and historical concepts that are developed and built on in the related weekly seminars


Independent learning is essential to this module: students are expected to develop skills of source evaluation, critical reading and note-taking in an independent and effective manner. Seminar teaching complements these skills by allowing students the opportunity to share and debate information gathered independently. Oral skills of argument and presentation will be developed. Moreover, a significant part of seminar teaching will test the development of primary source analysis.

Small group teaching will allow the students to explore ideas and patterns together in a structured way, and great emphasis will be placed on primary sources and their interpretation.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Exams test acquisition of a clear general knowledge of the subject plus the ability to think and analyse a problem quickly, to select from and to apply both the general knowledge and detailed knowledge of aspects of the subject to new questions problem-solving skills adaptability, the ability to work unaided and to write clearly and concisely

Documentary commentary exercises and examinations test knowledge and understanding of the texts set for the module. The ability to compare and contrast related source texts on a common subject. The ability to expound and criticize a textual extract lucidly, succinctly and with relevance in a relatively brief space and in an exam, under pressure of time

Work submitted during the delivery of the module forms a means of determining student progress.
Submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes, develops key skills in research, reading and writing

This module can be made available to Erasmus students only with the agreement of the Head of Subject and of the Module Leader. This option must be discussed in person at the beginning of your exchange period. No restrictions apply to study-abroad, exchange and Loyola students.

Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.