southampton

Module overview

In this module, you will work at the leading edge of historical research, generate new knowledge about a specific subject or topic, and consider how this might be translated into public history for a range of audiences. You will choose one from a wide selection of projects, spanning the thematic, chronological and geographical expertise of the department. You will have the opportunity to work in small groups, supervised by a member of staff with expert knowledge of the historical period, event or context. Together with your supervisor, you will discuss how your chosen subject relates to wider historical contexts and scholarly debates by exploring primary sources and supporting materials. And you will plan how your topic might be translated into a public history outcome, such as a podcast or exhibition. Building on the knowledge and skills acquired in Making History Part 1, this module encourages you to think critically and creatively about public history and its practice, as well as introducing you to a specific historical subject.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

explain complex historical questions to a variety of audiences.
select textual, visual and material culture sources as appropriate and use them effectively to explore and explain an historical subject.
utilise and further develop your time-management skills.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

key secondary source material relating to an historical subject.
the history of an historical subject, in particular the way in which such history is conceived by historians.
key primary sources relating to an historical subject.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

communicate your understanding of an historical subject to a wide range of audiences.
analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources and understand how to present these in an engaging manner.
engage with secondary literature on an historical subject, and contribute to the debates relating to the historiography of that subject in an accessible way.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include workshops.

Learning methods include working within assigned groups and discussion of key themes and ideas.

Study time
Type	Hours
Preparation for scheduled sessions	96
Wider reading or practice	88
Workshops	20
Completion of assessment task	96
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Kean, Hilda, and Paul Ashton, (eds) (2008). People and Their Pasts: Public History Today. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lowenthal, David (1998). The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History. Cambridge: CUP.

Kean, Hilda, Paul Martin, and Sally J. Morgan (eds) (2000). Seeing History: Public History in Britain Now. London: Francis Boutle.

De Groot, Jerome (2009). Consuming History: Historians and Heritage in Contemporary Popular Culture. London: Routledge.

Lowenthal, David (1985). The Past is a Foreign Country. Cambridge: CUP.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

Making History Part 2