Historical & Archival Studies degree
Historical & Archival Studies: VP31 (with the Department of Information Studies)
Undergraduate Historical & Archival Studies Degree at Aberystwyth
The innovative Historical & Archival Studies degree scheme is for those students who are interested in both the study of history and in the management of the archives and records that history depends on. The archival studies element also focuses on the wider ‘information world’ with associated practical and technical skills promoted as preparation for those interested in future employment in this field.
We offer valuable opportunities for those interested in combining history with archival studies. As well as the international reputations of the Departments of History and Welsh History and Information Studies, Aberystwyth is also the location of the National Library of Wales, the Ceredigion Archives, and the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments in Wales, all of which provide vast potential for students.
The Historical & Archival Studies degree scheme also includes a short work placement in the third year, for which your tutors will help you find an interesting host organization, and you can also explore an opportunity to spend a year in employment.
DIS is the largest postgraduate training school in archives and records management in the UK and this enables it to provide unparalleled experience to its undergraduates as well, including opening up the chance for further professional training after the degree.
Historical & Archival Studies Degree Year 1
As a student on the Historical and Archival Studies degree scheme you will divide your time equally between the Department of History and Welsh History and DIS.
Both departments have core modules that seek to ease the transition to undergraduate studies and provide an introduction to key skills and approaches. Otherwise, you will enjoy the opportunity to choose modules in both departments.
In History and Welsh History, these include:
Cradle to Grave? Welfare and Society in Modern Britain
Stuart England: War, Political Crisis and Social Change, 1629-1714
The Landed Gentry of England and Wales, 1750-1832
Environmental Protest in 19th and 20th Century Britain
In DIS, these include:
Foundations of Information Studies
Social Context of Information Studies
Computer Tools for an Information Age
Foundations of Information Retrieval and Organization
Historical & Archival Studies Degree Years 2 and 3
Both departments seek to build on the principles of study established in Year 1 with a range of different types of modules in the second and third years.
In the Department of History and Welsh History, students will choose a mixture of modules, from surveys of a particular period or theme to in-depth studies of sources. Current modules include:
War and Society in History
Sport, Leisure and Popular Culture in Britain since 1850
Diary Wars? Political Memoirs and Diaries as Historical Sources
Oral History: The Past in the Present
The Medieval Parish Church in England and Wales
The remaining modules will be taken from the full range offered by DIS, including:
Information and Society
Archive Management
Records Management in an Electronic Age
Local History in Wales: Sources and Services