HS3T85: The Making of the French Revolution

Module code: HS3T85

Module provider: History; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Joël Félix, email: j.m.felix@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: No placement specified

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 25 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module will consider the questions of why the French Revolution happened, how it came about, and what it changed. It will identify the structural problems which pitted the Absolute monarchy before 1789 and analyse the ways in which they paved the way to the French Revolution. The module will then ask why the crisis of the Estates General in 1789 led to the collapse of the Old Regime and how the discussions pertaining the establishment of a constitution to promote rights of the citizens led to political instability, political violence and international war.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Acquire a detailed understanding of the events through extensive reading in specialised literature;
2. locate and assemble information on the subject by independent research;
3. appraise critically the historical interpretations of the subject and topics covered;
4. organise material and articulate arguments effectively in writing, both under timed conditions and in assessed essays.

Module content

After a general introduction, the course will review the major historical interpretations about the origins of the French Revolution. The following sessions will be devoted to analysis of the social, economic, political and religious structures of the Absolute monarchy. Then focus will be on the challenges brought about by the Enlightenment and the pressures of international competition for great power status, and examine how conflicts over reforms paralysed government and forced the king to convene a meeting of the Estates general in 1789. The following sessions will show how conflicts between the deputies and the king paved the way to the storming of the Bastille and the collapse of the Old Regime. The second half of the course will be devoted to study of the conflicts which pitted various groups concerning the principles of the new regime and its organisation. The last sessions will analyse the ways in which growing tensions fuelled violence, both at home and abroad, and review the debates about the origins of revolutionary violence and Terror.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning will be by a variety of methods, which may include:  

• Lectures;
• Seminars, which rely on structured group discussion and may also include seminar papers by students, discussion of evidence, team-based exercises, and debates;
• Online exercises, including quizzes and worksheets;
• Discussion boards; and
• Independent study.

Study hours

At least 33 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

1,000 words or 2 pages of A4 maximum to include, at the module convenor's discretion, an essay plan, bibliography, book review or other preparatory work towards each of the summative essays. 

Reassessment

Additional costs