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HI4518: HISTORY IN PRACTICE (2024-2025)

Last modified: 23 Jul 2024 11:04


Course Overview

History is not simply a dry, academic study of the past; it shapes a host of contemporary political, economic and cultural attitudes and is a central underpinning to the tourist and heritage industries - now one of the largest sectors of employment among mature western economies. This course is designed to give a critical understanding of the theoretical and practical links (as well as clear distinctions) between the practice of 'academic' History and 'public' History. This is done by having students assess how heritage and tourist businesses project a particular version of the past.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term Second Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Cecilia Brioni

Qualification Prerequisites

  • Programme Level 4

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • History (HI) (Studied)
  • Either Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The course aims to give a greater sense of History as an applied subject with considerable public relevance and socio-economic significance beyond its academic forms. The course looks at the different practices that characterise the discipline of History in universities and in society at large. Students will refect upon and utilise both factual knowledge and generic techniques and genres inherent in the subject of History. By critiquing six academic papers, undertaking (where possible) workplacements, or reviewing how historical topics are selected, edited and packed in non-academic formats, students will gain a deeper knowledge of the many varieties of History which can and do exist. Beside a comparative review of how academic historians practice their discipline in the format of seminar papers/and or lectures, the course will enable students to evaluate how public, heritage, or civic institutions (libraries, archives, museums, History societies, tourist boards etc.) select, construct and present different, but equally valid, forms of History. Finally, students will then apply their knowledge, understanding and skills to develop an historical project and presentation based on a particular archival or primary source/s. In doing so, students are asked to ponder the wider issue of who 'owns' History and how, if at all, are competing claims to such ownership and practices addressed, mediated, and presented?


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Tutorial/Seminar Participation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 20
Assessment Weeks 26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33 Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

A percentage of the students’ final mark will be based on their participation in the seminars. Marks will be based on Bean and Petersen’s Holistic Rubric for Scoring class participation, adapted to the University of Aberdeen’s marking scheme, and criteria will be presented and discussed with students in week 1 of teaching. In order to better identify each student’s contribution to seminar participation, each week groups will be asked to identify a group leader who will act as project manager and will report on the work done by the group in the final part of the weekly seminar.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ProceduralApplyTo devise a public history project and be able to present it to an audience via audio and/or video presentation
ProceduralCreateTo work collaboratively (during seminars) on mini-public history projects: to brainstorm ideas, reach an agreement in a groupwork setting, and envisage a practical development of initial ideas

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 40
Assessment Weeks 33 Feedback Weeks 39

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Feedback

Students identify, analyse and critically review a particular act, institution, or piece of ‘public history’. This can be, for example, a TV series, a public debate among historians, an exhibition, a commemorative event, or a blog. The review should explain why the subject was chosen, show its significance, reflect on how this public history relates to ‘academic history’, and display critical thought about how history is presented and consumed.

Word Count 2000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandTo broaden students' understanding of the ethical issues and responsibilities central to the practice of all forms of history
ConceptualUnderstandTo develop a critical understanding of theoretical and practical links (as well as clear distinctions) between the practice of ‘academic’ and ‘public’ history
ProceduralEvaluateTo reflect critically on how history is presented to, received, and interpreted by, different audiences in different ways

Work Placement report, or Public History podcast

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 40
Assessment Weeks 39 Feedback Weeks 42

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Feedback

Students are asked to prepare a 10-minute audio report, in the form of a podcast – to be recorded via PowerPoint – of either a work placement experience (1), or of a potential public history project they would take on in the future (2).

1. The podcast will be based on a work placement scheme, and should indicate the way in which the student's historical skills were utilised in the work environment, and – if appropriate – how the work-placement experience enhanced their historical skills and/or ideas about history.

2. For this podcast students identify a topic, theme or aspect of History and, reflecting on the knowledge, issues and solutions considered in the course, construct their own version of a ‘Public History’ project.
Training on how to record their podcast, and on its format, will be provided in seminars in week 1 of teaching.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandTo broaden students' understanding of the ethical issues and responsibilities central to the practice of all forms of history
ConceptualUnderstandTo develop a critical understanding of theoretical and practical links (as well as clear distinctions) between the practice of ‘academic’ and ‘public’ history
ProceduralApplyTo devise a public history project and be able to present it to an audience via audio and/or video presentation
ProceduralEvaluateTo reflect critically on how history is presented to, received, and interpreted by, different audiences in different ways

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Resubmission of failed elements

Assessment Type Summative Weighting
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Seminar participation will be excluded from resit assessments, and the percentage of the two other assessment components will be increased to 50% and 50%.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandTo develop a critical understanding of theoretical and practical links (as well as clear distinctions) between the practice of ‘academic’ and ‘public’ history
ProceduralEvaluateTo reflect critically on how history is presented to, received, and interpreted by, different audiences in different ways
ConceptualUnderstandTo broaden students' understanding of the ethical issues and responsibilities central to the practice of all forms of history
ProceduralApplyTo devise a public history project and be able to present it to an audience via audio and/or video presentation
ProceduralCreateTo work collaboratively (during seminars) on mini-public history projects: to brainstorm ideas, reach an agreement in a groupwork setting, and envisage a practical development of initial ideas

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