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Making History

Module description

This module will provide you, for whom History is a principal part of your degree programme, with some of the essential practical and intellectual tools for the study of the subject. Rather than asking 'What is History?' in the abstract, the module will introduce you to the working practices and concepts expected of a history student in all aspects of their degree work. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will provide you with the essential tools for studying the past. The module has two parts, each of which has a distinct aim:

• Part one will introduce you to the essential practical tools that every historian requires. Lectures will introduce the idea of historiography, before exploring and explaining a range of research, writing and referencing skills. In seminars, you will apply this knowledge, for example by constructing bibliographies, or assessing and taking notes on books and articles.
• Part two will introduce you to the essential intellectual tools that every historian needs to be aware of. Lectures will provide an introduction to key types of history (political, social, cultural, postmodern, global and digital). Seminars will be based around the discussion of ‘case studies’ of each type of history.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Present work in the format expected of historians, with accurate footnoting and bibliographic references
• 2. Recognise the variety of approaches taken to historical study
• 3. Discuss how quantitative data can be used in historical study
• 4. Describe at a basic level some of the philosophical problems confronting historians, i.e. the difficulties of total objectivity, the value of debate

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Develop knowledge of the use of a library to find information
• 6. Comprehend how to undertake the accurate referencing of sources in written work
• 7. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources
• 8. Describe approaches to research, including the difference between qualitative and quantitative data

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Demonstrate critical skills and communications skills (written and oral)
• 10. Work both independently and in a group, to compile, present and discuss material
• 11. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument developed through the mode of assessment

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

Lectures:

• (for skills) historiography;
• finding books, journals and online materials;
• critical reading skills, writing history;
• (for historiography) political, social, cultural, postmodern, global and digital history.

Seminars will be focused on developing particular skills such as:

• referencing;
• formatting;
• constructing bibliographies;
• critical reading and writing skills;
• introducing key themes: historiography, political, social, cultural and postmodern history.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic Reading:

• Claus, Peter, and John Marriott, History: An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2012).
• Jordanova, Ludmilla, History in Practice, 2nd ed. (London: Hodder Arnold, 2006).
• Rublack, Ulinka, ed., A Concise Companion to History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
• Tosh, John, The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions of Modern History (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2006).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3884

Key words search

Historiography, Skills, Research, Approaches, Concepts