This module explores the nature of the disorienting social, economic and political changes which affected Welsh society between 1939 and 2000. It examines the impact of the sexual revolution, the Americanization of popular culture, the rebirth of political nationalism and the foundation of the welfare state against the backdrop of a rapidly-changing economy. Through photographs, films, oral testimonies, literature and newspapers, the module questions the historical reality behind popular perceptions of a period that continues to be fiercely debated. Was Welsh society swinging in the sixties? What was the impact of post-war immigration? Did women gain equality? Were ‘family values’ undermined? This module will address such questions through key themes including identity, class and gender, and will place the experience of Wales within a broader British and international context.

 

-       analyse key themes and events in the history of modern Wales, 1939-2000

-       discuss, with reference to modern historical scholarship, selected topics in the social and economic history of Wales, 1939-2000

-       assess the wider social, economic, cultural and political impact of the decline of the staple industries within modern Wales

-       critically evaluate the transformation of social attitudes within Welsh society in the period 1939-2000

-       demonstrate a critical understanding of the potentialities and problems of researching and writing contemporary history

 

Academic:

Upon the completion of the option the typical student will be able to:

-       demonstrate a broad and systematic knowledge of the history of modern Wales, 1939-2000

-       critically identify different trends in the social and economic history of Wales throughout the period

-       demonstrate an in-depth and critical understanding of concepts of gender, class, protest, nationalism and identity and how these concepts have been deployed in historical and historiographical writing on post-Second World War Welsh society

-       analyse key themes and issues in the social and economic history of Welsh society in the light of these ideas, contexts and frameworks.

 

Subject-specific:

Upon the completion of the option the typical student will be able to:

-       identify the nature and scope of the issues raised by the social history of Wales 1939-2000

-       discuss in a critical and informed manner the social, economic and political history of Wales during this period

-       summarise and critically evaluate the relative merits and demerits of alternative views and interpretations of the post-1939 history of Wales and evaluate their significance

-       identify problems, assess evidence, and reach independent conclusions on the social and economic history of contemporary Wales

-       devise and sustain arguments about the nature of societal change and its wider impact within modern Wales

-       Present accurately, succinctly and lucidly, and in written or oral form their arguments in accordance with appropriate scholarly conventions

-       Express their ideas on and assessments of a changing economic base, growth of political nationalism and a transforming social attitudes within modern Welsh society

-       Discuss in a critical and informed manner the social, economic and cultural history of Wales, 1939-2000

-       Identify strengths, weaknesses, problems, and/or peculiarities of alternative historical/historiographical interpretations

-       Demonstrate an awareness of a range of relevant primary sources and an appreciation of how historians have approached them

 

Generic:

Upon the completion of the option the typical student will be able to:

-       Communicate ideas and arguments effectively, whether in speech or in writing in an accurate, succinct and lucid manner.

-       Formulate and justify their own arguments and conclusions about a range of issues.

-       Demonstrate an ability to modify as well as to defend their own positions.

-       Possess a range of information technology resources to assist with information retrieval.

-       Organise their own study methods and workload.

-       Work is part of the team in seminar and/or tutorial discussions.

-       Independently organise their own study methods and workload.

 

Summative assessment takes the form of one 3,000–4,000 word essay (excluding empirical appendices and references).

 

People of Wales: Immigration and Class

Immigration in Post-War Wales

Politics and Nation

One-partyism? Labour and Wales

The mother tongue: The Welsh Language and Identity

The fortunes of the Welsh Language

Thatcherism: Economy, Industry and Community

Coal not Dole: The Miners’ Strike 1984-5

Cool Cymru? Culture, Class, Gender and Identity

Cool Cymru? Popular Culture in Wales 1970s-1990s

Women and Gender in Post-War Wales

Vote Yes For Wales! Devolution and Nationhood

Devolution, Politics and Identity

Wales at the turn of the twenty-first century

Jane Aaron, Teresa Rees, Sandra Betts and Moira Vincentelli (eds), Our Sisters’ Land: The Changing Identities of Women in Wales (1994)

 

Deirdre Beddoe, Out of the Shadows: A History of Women in Twentieth Century Wales (2000)

 

John Davies, A History of Wales (2007)

 

David Dunkerley and Andrew Thompson (eds), Wales Today (1999)

 

Trevor Herbert and Gareth Elwyn Jones (eds), Post-War Wales (1995)

 

Kenneth O. Morgan, Rebirth of a Nation 1880-1980 (1981)

 

Duncan Tanner, Chris Williams and Deian Hopkin (eds), The Labour Party in Wales (2000)

 

Charlotte Williams, Paul O’Leary and Neil Evans (eds), A Tolerant Nation?: Exploring Ethnic Diversity in Wales (2003)