History in Practice (U03987)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-PRACT

This 20-credit module (?course?) will stretch across the whole year and will provide students with an introduction to the practical components and skills of researching and writing history, encouraging critical reflection on the disciplinary area. It will deal specifically with the location of sources; how to frame historical questions; methods of analysis; and project design. It will enable reflection on the wider arena in which history is researched and produced; within the media, cultural industries, family or community history, as well as within academic study. A series of lectures and workshops in semester 1 will be followed by supervised work on individual or group projects in semester 2.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : Entry to honours for a programme in which historical study forms the major component.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Common Course (History, Classics and Archaeology), (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Other subject areas

History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Scottish History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Archaeology, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Classics General, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Economic and Social History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 50 minutes per week for 20 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
24/09/2008	09:00	11:00	Lecture Theatre C, David Hume Tower	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

? Skills in locating a range of sources in libraries, online and in archives.
? Understanding of the role of research questions and hypotheses.
? Knowledge of at least two methods of historical analysis.
? Awareness of the roles of concepts, theories and grand narratives in research design.
? Enhanced presentation skills.
? Practical experience of planning and completing a research project as a stepping-stone to the Dissertation.

Assessment Information

1. Two completed tasks (one task will be set in each workshop attended). Submitted: end of week 9, semester 1. Each task would be no more than 2 sides of A4 in length (or 1,000 words). Together they will form 10% of the overall assessment mark.

2. Project report of 4,000 words, submitted week 10 of semester 2. This will form 90% of the overall assessment mark.

Please note:
Assessed by coursework only. The course is not examined.