Focuses on the major cultural expressions of European modernity and the way in which they reflected social and political transformation. Themes include: modernism's challenges to positivism, fin-de-siecle decadence, Freud and the rise of psychoanalysis, the roaring 20s, feminism, Surrealism, Cubism, Cabaret, Americanisation, Jazz, and cultural representations of WWI & WWII.

The learning outcomes of the course equip students with both history-specific and generic skills. Specific skills include the ability to conduct research and synthesise findings; analyse existing historical interpretations; devise new interpretations or produce critical reflections on the existing historiography; perform critical analysis and produce readings of primary sourse material; the capacity to participate in class discussion or public debate from a historically informed point of view. Generic skills include the improvement of basic principles associated with university study such as meeting deadlines and working independently or in association with others; the enhancement of critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and the further development of both written and verbal communicatin skills.