Module: Women and Crime in Early Modern Europe

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Women and Crime in Early Modern Europe
Module Code	HIS1070
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	10

Description

This module will provide students with a chance to work closely with primary sources and develop their understanding of the professional skills and materials historians use to create works of history. The focus will be on the history of women and crime in early modern Europe, looking at women as perpetrators, victims, and witnesses to crimes, examining gendered assumptions about crime and criminals, and considering the ways in which gender also impacted the investigation and punishment of crime. Students will be introduced to relevant historical archives and published primary sources and encouraged to explore them independently, honing their research skills as well as their critical analysis of primary sources. The module will also give students opportunities to assess historical works themselves in a critical fashion, displaying their understanding of the ways in which historians are shaped by their political, intellectual and social environment. Overall, the module aims to help students engage with the hands on work of historians.

Learning Outcomes

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Seminars	44	No Description
Independent Study	206	No Description
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	21438	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Celeste McNamara	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Extended Essay / Dissertation	5000 word dissertation	60%	n/a
Participation	Preparation, attendance, participation in sessions	10%	n/a
Assignment	Research assignments to develop dissertation (proposal, scaffolded components)	30%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative content
Topics will include women as victims of crime, women as perpetrators of crime, women as witnesses in court, how courts understood female criminals and crimes against women, how courts treated female criminals and victims, and how female criminals and victims were seen by their societies in early modern Europe.

Indicative Reading List

Books:
None

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None