Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 4 x 2 hour seminars & 1 hour tutorial |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | ONE SHORT PROJECT: 2,000 WORDS | 100% |
| Supplementary Assessment | RESUBMISSION OF ANY FAILED ASSESSMENT |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
Recognise, order and review a body of knowledge in the field of historical methodology as it particularly relates to historians of the modern period
Identify and use in interpretation comparative perspectives on the utilisation of primary source materials
Compare and evaluate a range of approaches to the use of source materials as these relate to the development of a research project
Read, analyse and reflect critically on the secondary literature providing the context for advanced historical research
to work both independently and collaboratively
Brief description
Through a short series of seminar workshops, students will be introduced to types of primary source material commonly used by historians of the modern period, such as newspapers and oral testimony. Through prior reading for the seminars, students will be expected to familiarize themselves with some of the discussions surrounding the use of these common forms of primary source material. Discussions in the seminars will focus on the potential of each source to enrich historical understanding, while also dealing with the potential pitfalls, methodological difficulties, and ethical issues inherent in each.
Aims
Historians at Masters level need to examine many kinds of source material, and to deploy many different skills during the course of their studies. For historians of the modern period, there are a number of commonly used source materials which present unique, and sometimes difficult, problems of interpretation and methodology. This module aims to assist students in using such source materials critically and appropriately during a piece of original research.
Content
Four of the following will be taught in any one year
1. Oral History
2. Historians and newspapers
3. Sound and film sources
4. History and Memory
5. Using Government documents
6. Biography
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Read a wide range of both primary and secondary texts; demonstrate and develop the ability to communicate ideas in an essay; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Show awareness of own learning styles, personal preferences and needs; devise and apply realistic learning and self management strategies. |
| Information Technology | Use various search tools to survey existing literature and sources; use range of commonly used software packages to prepare and present written work. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Develop awareness of skills needed to undertake the research project the student has in mind; plan and prepare for future course / career. |
| Problem solving | Develop original, creative and systematic approaches to problem solving; evaluate advantages and disadvantages of potential solutions. |
| Research skills | Understand the development of a range of research methods within the discipline of history; understand how the boundaries of knowledge are advanced through research; produce academically appropriate pieces of written work. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Awareness of the need to place research within the broad context of debates occurring within modern history as an academic discipline |
| Team work | Understand the concept of group dynamics; contribute to the setting of group goals; contribute effectively to the planning of group activities; play an active part in group activities; exercise negotiation and persuasion skills; evaluate group activities and own contribution |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7