Becoming a Historian: Extended

Module title	Becoming a Historian: Extended
Module code	HIH1139
Academic year	2025/6
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Rebecca Williams (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		10

Number students taking module (anticipated)	300

Module description

Building on the skills you have developed in Becoming a Historian (core), this module provides you with the opportunity to extend that learning further. You will consider further the approaches and ideas that historians use to study the past. You will have the chance to research in more detail topics that particularly interest you, and apply your skills to them, building, via independent project work, the research and critical thinking abilities that you will need in the subsequent years of your degree. By the end of the module, you will be able to reflect upon the ways in which the skills you will develop throughout your degree will be useful to you in the workplace beyond university, and upon the ways in which history can be practised, presented, and communicated.

Module aims - intentions of the module

How do people write history? Why does history matter? How do approaches vary, and what questions can historians ask? This module explores key concepts discussed in the study of history across many periods, such power, gender, “race” /ethnicity, wealth, religion, and social status. It will thus introduce you to the working practices and interests of academic staff in the Department, and to the variety of possible approaches to history that you can explore in the rest of your degree programme. It will also allow you to consider why history is relevant today, and how key concepts in the study of history relate to ongoing social, cultural, and political issues.

This module aims to:

explore a variety of approaches to history
investigate some of the overarching issues encountered, and concepts used, by historians.
encourage you to make comparisons across time and space
develop your understanding of the relationship between history, and the present

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 reference
2. Be aware of some of the recurring themes of history
3. Recognise the variety of approaches taken to 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. Comprehend how to undertake the accurate referencing of sources in written work
6. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources
7. Demonstrate an awareness of contrasting approaches to research, an understanding of the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, and an awareness of some of the basic philosophical questions arising from the study of history

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

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

Syllabus plan

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

Power
Identity
Gender
“Race"/ethnicity
Religion
Wealth
Archives
Periodisation

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
26	124	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	Workshops (10 x 1 hour)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	16	Seminars (8 x 2-hour)
Guided Independent Study	124	Preparation for seminars and assessment

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Group Presentation	20 minutes	2-4, 6-10	Oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Research Proposal	25	750 words	1-10	Oral and Written
Essay	70	1750 words	1-10	Written
Seminar attendance	5	Attendance at all seminars	8, 9	n/a

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

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Research Proposal (750 words)	Research Proposal (750 words)	1-10	Referral/deferral period
Essay (1750 words)	Essay	1-10	Referral/deferral period

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%.

An individual presentation (recorded) replaces the group presentation, representing an individual’s contribution to the original piece of group work.

Attendance at seminars will not be reassessed. You will not be penalised for non-attendance, if you have a legitimate reason for absence and provide appropriate documentation.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Carr, Helen and Lipscomb, Suzannah, (eds.), What is History Now? (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2021)
Claus, Peter, and John Marriott, History: An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2012).
Jordanova, Ludmilla, History in Practice, 2^nd 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).

Key words search

Historiography, Skills, Research, Approaches, Concepts

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	Only available to single hons BA History students
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	4
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	31/01/2023
Last revision date	11/04/2025