The close reading of a substantial range of secondary sources drawn from a broad range of different genres;

The manipulation of a wide range of primary sources including letters, dispatches, diaries and memoirs of a sort likely to be vital to the dissertation arising from the module;

The exploration of visual sources as a means of recording and/or understanding the past.

(LO1) Anability to read, analyse and reflect critically and contextually upon secondaryevidence, including historical writings and the interpretations of historians

(LO2) An understanding of the development of history as a discipline and anawareness of different historical methodologies.

(LO3) The acquisition of a betterunderstanding of the importance of military history in wider historical debate.

(S1) Confidence, independence of mind, responsibility, organisation and time-management.

(S2) The ability to work collaboratively and to participate in group discussion

(S3) Gathering, analysing and organising information, including online and digital resources.

(S4) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of oral expression.

(S5) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of written expression

Topics covered by this module will include:

Britain’s strategic situation in 1808;

The ancien régime in Spain;

The uprising against Napoleon;

The British decision to send troops to the Iberian peninsula;

The nature of the British and Spanish armies;

The campaigns and battles of the Peninsular War;

The background to the Spanish constitution of 1812 and the ever-growing levels of tension, resentment and misunderstanding that marred the Anglo-Spanish alliance.

Delivery of the module will take place through eleven, three-hour seminars each of which will feature a presentation by the module convenor and an extended period of discussion of primary sources. In the second semester, students will go on to write a dissertation based on some aspect of the module or a related topic.

Teaching method 1 - lecture.
The purpose of lectures is to provide students with a framework of information that they can then use as a basis for further reading.

Teaching method 2 - seminar.
Five, 2-hour seminars. These focus on detailed group analysis of key aspects of the module, and hear and discuss assessed presentations by the students.