'Hands on' History: Sources and their Historians

Module Identifier: HY10420
Module Title: 'Hands on' History: Sources and their Historians
Academic Year: 2027/2028
Semester: Semester 2
Co-ordinator: Dr Miguel Hernandez
Reading List: View on Aspire
Exclusive (Any Acad Year): HA10420
Other Staff: Dr Elizabeth New; Dr Yi Li; Dr David Jones; Dr Arddun Arwyn; Dr Diana Valencia-Duarte; Dr Rhun Emlyn; Miss Nina Frohme; Professor Phillipp Schofield; Dr Steve Thompson

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	Essay: 2000 Words	50%
Semester Assessment	Open examination: 1000 Words	50%
Supplementary Assessment	Essay: 2000 Words	50%
Supplementary Assessment	Open examination: 1000 Words	50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of primary sources to the study of history.
Demonstrate an understanding of a range of types of primary sources and their use.
Analyse and interpret a specific source and place it within its historical and historiographical contexts.

Brief description

From manuscripts to newspapers, official documents to music, historians over the years have drawn on a vast range of sources, on which to base their interpretations of the past. This module will take you on a journey through history with a focus on the very materials that historians have used to understand it. It will introduce students to the various sources used by our lecturers in their own research and teach them how to interrogate them. Primary sources are the clues that historians use to piece together the past. This module will teach students how to engage critically with them and prepare students for their own future historical detective work.

Content

The module introduces students to a range of primary sources and their use by historians. After the introductory lecture, in each of the subsequent nine lectures students will be introduced to a particular primary source type, its use by historians and how to analyze it. Each workshop will contain a practical element of working with primary materials as well as information about the context in which they have been used by historians. The module reflects the research interests of staff in the department and focuses therefore on the sources used by them. A wide range of materials will be explored in the course, including archival sources, personal documents, material culture and visual and aural sources amongst others. Individual workshops will examine sources such as letters, diaries, newspapers, songs, personal papers, oral history, film and images, such as posters or photography.

Module skills

Skills type	Skills details
Application of Number	N/A
Communication	Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework and written examination; skills in oral presentation will be developed in workshops are formally assessed.
Improving own Learning and Performance	Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths.
Information Technology	Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard.
Personal Development and Career planning	Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework.
Problem solving	Identify problems and factors which might influence potential solutions; develop creative thinking approaches to problem solving; evaluate advantages and disadvantages of potential solutions.
Research skills	Students will develop their research skills by analysis primary sources and evaluating their value in preparation for the coursework.
Subject Specific Skills	Students will develop an awareness of the centrality of primary material to historical investigation. They will also apply this learning to the critical use/analysis of primary sources.
Team work	Students will be expected to play an active part in-group activities and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4