Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2025 - HIST 315 OL01

Politics and Society in England, 1500-1707 (4)

Class Number: 2916

Delivery Method: Online

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Online

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units, including six units of lower division history.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This course provides a general overview of the social and political history of Tudor and Stuart England.

COURSE DETAILS:

This reading intensive advanced course is a selective survey of English politics and society from the opening decades of the sixteenth century to the Act of Union in 1707 which united the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland into the single state of Great Britain.  These tumultuous decades saw England break with the Papacy, stave off a Spanish invasion and take the first steps towards becoming a global power.  These were also decades of deep political and ideological division that resulted in the ‘wars of the three kingdoms’, a bloody period of internal violence that witnessed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a short-lived godly republic with consequences that reverberate to this day.  This course is the foundation for all senior work in early modern English History. Students will be given instruction in reading black letter type and expected to become familiar with a range of early printed works found in the database Early English Books Online (EEBO)

OnLine Instruction:  This course will be delivered entirely asynchronously. This means there will be no in person instruction on campus.

 

Grading

  • First Written Response (600 words each) 20%
  • Second Written Response (600 words) 20%
  • Two Online Tests (10% each) 20%
  • Research Essay (2000 words) 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All required readings and viewings will be available electronically through the Library or on Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.