To discuss the discipline of History, its relevance and significance as a means of understanding the past and the present;

To appreciate the complex nature of historical knowledge through engagement with a key historiographical debate;

To develop written and oral skills and aptitudes developed by the study of history;

To understand the rules and procedures of the scholarly community in the department of history and to enter into the research culture through engagement with one tutor’s work;

To encourage the independent and self-reflective attitudes which are essential to university-level study.

(LO1) An ability to read, analyse and reflect critically and contextually upon primary and secondary evidence, including historical writings and the interpretations of historians

(LO2) An understanding of the development of different historiographies and anawareness of different historical approaches.

(LO3) A foundational knowledge of the professional practice of History

(S1) Confidence, independence of mind, responsibility, organisation and time-management.

(S2) Gathering, analysing and organising information, including online and digital resources.

(S3) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of oral expression.

(S4) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of written expression

A series of lectures and seminars will focus on the specificity of historical enquiry and the significance of history in past and present societies, including the public role and nature of history, together with the skills necessary to become an effective historian. The lectures provide several connections and a springboard for students’ full participation in HIST106. The lecture programme (five one-hour lectures) surveys the various ways thathistory matters – in scholarship, in policy, in public culture, for personalidentity, through cultural representation and in the online environment. It sets out the range of values, approaches and tools that historians use in(re-)constructing the past, as well as providing a critical exploration of the many uses that the past is put to. Encouraging an active engagement with lecture content in this team-taught module, lecturers provide the key information that students require to begin their own historical investigations. Lectures will address library research, the use of digital media in studying history and public policy history, as well as spotlighting the history department’s research culture. The seminar programme (ten, 2 hour seminars plus a library workshop) will allow students to explore therange of sources, methods, epistemologies and approaches that inform one particular historiographical discussion or debate. By studying how historians have formulated and deployed their arguments, students will learn how to shape their own historical arguments. Working with tutors on a particular area of their research, students will explore how historians go about their work.

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.

Lecture:
The lectures provide a framework for the module, introduce the main themes, concepts and historical debates, and provide the context for the in-depth discussions in the seminars.

Seminar:
Description: These two hour sessions focus on detailed group analysis of key aspects of the module