Module Title:Historic House Studies
Language of Instruction:English
Credits: 10
NFQ Level:8
Module Delivered In 1 programme(s)
Teaching & Learning Strategies: Strategies used for delivery include a broad range of learning methodologies. Classes will be based around lectures, lab sessions and group discussions. This class will be taught primarily by means of lectures, tutorials, class discussion and group activities.
Module Aim: The aims of this module are to: • Develop the students’ knowledge and understanding of the evolution of the Irish country house during the period 1670- 1950 • Inform students on how to create direct links between the discoveries abroad and what was happening on the ground at home • Use appropriate research material for the presentation of the Irish country house in an international context • Identify changes in Ireland’s political landscape and the need for deference in order for the country house to strive forward • Provide students with a broad range of skills in the study of the Irish country house as both a symbol of power and as a depository for fashionable goods • To investigate the theoretical differences in the way country houses were presented to the general public
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module the learner should be able to:
LO1 Demonstrate an in depth knowledge of the political undertones which influenced the evolution of the Irish country house.
LO2 Critically assess and investigate the consequences of education and travel on the ever changing architectural fashions which shaped the Irish country house.
LO3 Display confidence in the identification and categorisation of the dramatic influences that the ascendency class imprinted on the rural and urban landscapes of provincial Ireland.
LO4 Evaluate the importance of land ownership in the division of power in historic Ireland.
LO5 Assess the importance of material culture in the development of stylistic trends throughout Irish society.
LO6 Analyse the effects of foreign travel on the consumption of luxury commodities in rural Ireland.
Pre-requisite learning
Module Recommendations

This is prior learning (or a practical skill) that is recommended before enrolment in this module.
No recommendations listed
Incompatible Modules
These are modules which have learning outcomes that are too similar to the learning outcomes of this module.
No incompatible modules listed
Co-requisite Modules
No Co-requisite modules listed
Requirements
This is prior learning (or a practical skill) that is mandatory before enrolment in this module is allowed.
No requirements listed
 

Module Content & Assessment

Indicative Content
Overview of the political history
• The agrarian unrest of the eighteenth century resulting in the 1798 rebellion • The act of union and its influence on the country seats • The famine and its effects on incomes and investment • The agrarian unrest of the late nineteenth century and the land leagues • The twilight of the ascendency and the transfer of power– the early twentieth century
The country house and the world of goods
• Symbols of power – the evolution of luxurious commodities such as silver and porcelain • Discoveries abroad and the need for new goods • Gentile society and the production of home crafted goods • Expensive raw materials and their use in the country house • Furniture – its evolution and uses
The evolution of landed estates and planned landscapes
• Imposing classical ideals on a ragged cellular landscape • Rethinking the connection – the new fashion for the Arcadian • The discovery of new plants and the race for the exotic in the gentleman’s collection • Idealised views – the use of follies in the landscape
Approaches to domestic architecture in Ireland 1670-1900
• Rethinking functional architecture – imposing the classical ideal • Linking with the past – the nostalgia for ancient forms • Blurring the boundaries – the Victorian flavour for all things nice
Assessment Breakdown%
Continuous Assessment50.00%
End of Module Formal Examination50.00%
Continuous Assessment
Assessment Type Assessment Description Outcome addressed % of total Assessment Date
Essay Students will be required to find appropriate source material in order to compose a four thousand word essay on a given topic relating to the political climate encompassing the Irish country house. 1,4 20.00 n/a
Presentation Students are required to present the findings of their research for their essay in a ten minute presentation to the rest of their class. 2,3 5.00 n/a
Project Students will be required to find appropriate source material in order to compose a four thousand word research project on a topic relating to the evolution of the Irish country house and its surroundings. 2,3,5 15.00 n/a
Project Following class visits to a minimum of two Irish country houses, students are required to present a report (to include text and images) that documents their personal experiences as a visitor. 2,5,6 10.00 n/a
No Project
No Practical
End of Module Formal Examination
Assessment Type Assessment Description Outcome addressed % of total Assessment Date
Formal Exam Final Exam 1,2,3,4,5,6 50.00 End-of-Semester

SETU Carlow Campus reserves the right to alter the nature and timings of assessment

 

Module Workload

Workload: Full Time
Workload Type Frequency Average Weekly Learner Workload
Lecture Every Week 2.00
Practicals Every Week 1.00
Total Hours 3.00
Workload: Part Time
Workload Type Frequency Average Weekly Learner Workload
Lecture Every Week 1.50
Total Hours 1.50
 

Module Delivered In

Programme Code Programme Semester Delivery
CW_HWCHS_B Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Culture & Heritage Studies 4 Mandatory