HIS-20117 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Many people presume that the nature of the historian¿s work is self-evident ¿ to find out what happened in the past. The results of historical research, however, give rise to debates rather than truths. This module ensures that everyone graduating in History at Keele has spent some time thinking about history conceptually and about the basis on which historians claim to know about the past. Lectures and workshops will introduce you to different types of and approaches to history whilst you will develop your own research in theme-based seminars. The module is designed as preparation for your final year dissertation; as such, towards the end of the module we will move from seminar-based group discussions to individual supervisions, as you will experience in your final year.

The module aims to enable students to develop their skills in handling historiographical issues and in source critique; to give students the opportunity to conceive, develop, and produce a personal project of historical research prior to embarking on their level 6 ISP; and to enhance student skills in engaging with different audiences in order to communicate their findings with clarity, authority, and impact.

Intended Learning Outcomes

analyse historiographical debates in their chosen field of study: 1,2
evaluate varieties of source material available to the historian and the advantages and problems of using each: 1,2
develop their ability to read and use source materials, both critically and emphatically, while addressing questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose: 1,2
assess critically differences of opinion between historians and position themselves within the historiographical field: 1,2
ideate, plan, manage and execute an independent project of historical research: 1,2,3
present their ideas for a wider public audience in innovative formats: 3

Study hours

ACTIVE LEARNING: 98
- Lectures: 24
- Workshops: 24
- Seminars: 16
- Individual Supervision: 10
- Structured engagement with online resources: 24
INDEPENDENT LEARNING: 202
- Preparation for seminars: 36
- Work on tasks for the Portfolio: 36
- Preparation for the Project (research and writing): 130

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment