Kenneth O. Morgan, ed., The Oxford history of Britain, revised ed.
Karen Lindsey, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
Charles Dickens, Hard Times
Niall Ferguson, Empire

Traditionally, when Americans studied nations in Europe, the nation they studied first was Britain. There were obvious reasons for this, even after Britain lost its world role and most of its empire. The United States began as a group of English colonies. Much of our culture today reflects that origin, even in Texas. More specifically, those studying political science and law looked to Britain for the roots of the American legal system; and English literature made a lot more sense when Shakespeare or Wordsworth could be put in their historical context.

This course will briefly look at the history of modern Britain, emphasizing the major trends and personalities of the last 500 years and how they contributed to the state that is Britain today. To help you look, you'll read four books, take three non-comprehensive tests, and write one 5-6 page typed, double-spaced book review. The tests and book review will each count 25% of your grade. Note that late papers will lose 2 points for every day that they are late.