Uses of the Past (HIH2002)
| Staff | Dr Richard Ward - Lecturer |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 5 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
This module aims to:
- introduce you to the many and varied ways in which the past has been used, and continues to be used. It will compare the function of history in different cultures of the past and present, addressing its use by different states and rulers, and in education, entertainment and public commemoration.
- address the role that scholars, novelists, film makers, or propagandists, for instance, have played in constructing the past, using reflections on past cultures of historical production to contextualise and critique the function of the academic historian today.
- explore the authority that different cultures have given to the past, what makes a past ‘authentic’ and ‘powerful’, how notions of good or bad history have changed over time, and how and why people draw upon the past to make sense of their worlds.
- examine a range of texts and objects – such as chronicles, paintings, films, genealogies, statues, memorials – through which groups have attempted to make sense of their pasts.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Assess the varying functions of history in both the past and the present, for different cultures and social groups
- 2. Assess critically writing about the past, through consideration of the purposes for which it was created and the functions that it has played in past and contemporary societies
- 3. Analyse, through a particular case-study, the issues involved in the representation of the past to a public audience
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Assess the work of scholars and handle different approaches in areas of controversy
- 5. Collate and critique data from a range of sources
- 6. Understand, recognise, and deploy historical terminology in a comprehensible manner
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 7. Carry out both independent and autonomous study and group work, including presentation of material for group discussion, developed through the mode of learning
- 8. Present complex material orally
- 9. Digest, select, and synthesize evidence and arguments to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument
Syllabus plan
While the content may vary from year to year, it is expected that the module will cover some or all of the following topics: writing about the past; personal history; history, education & citizenship; history & culture; public history; remembering and forgetting the past; and creating a usable past.
The lecture programme is designed to add context and additional case-studies to the themes discussed in the seminars, and bring other important issues related to the ‘uses of the past’ to your attention.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 264 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 10 | Lectures (10 x 1 hour) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 14 | Seminars (7 x 2 hours |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 12 | Workshops. These will be facilitated by a tutor, and will help you work towards your assessment and provide opportunities for formative feedback |
| Guided Independent Study | 264 | Reading and preparation for seminars, workshops, and assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster pitch workshop | 60 minutes | 1-9 | Oral |
| Poster development workshops | 2 x 60 minutes | 1-9 | Oral |
| Individual Assignment workshop | 60 minutes | 1-7, 9 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Project, comprising: Poster (30%), Presentation of poster (15%), + attendance at Group Proejct workshops (5%) | 50 | Poster (500 words + design elements); 15-minute presentation; participation in 4 x 90-minute workshops | 1-9 | Written and oral |
| Individual assignment | 50 | 3,000 words | 1-7, 9 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Project Poster and Presentation of Poster | Individual assignment (2,500 words) | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Individual assignment | Individual assignment (3,000 words) | 1-7, 9 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
In place of the Group Project Poster and Presentation of the Poster, there will be an individual assignment equivalent to 2500 words, which represents that individual’s contribution to such a project. It is not possible to mitigate part of the group project: if you are offered a deferral or referral for the group project, you cannot carry forward any of the marks from the group project.
The original individual assignment remains the same.
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- B. Anderson, Imagined Communities (2006)
- S. Berger & C. Conrad, The Past as History: National Identity and Historical Consciousness in Modern Europe (2014)
- A. Clark, History’s Children: History Wars in the Classroom (2008)
- J. de Groot, Consuming History (2008)
- E. Hobsbawm and T. Ranger (eds.), The Invention of Tradition (1983)
- L. Jordanova, History in Practice (Revised 3rd Ed. 2019))
- D. Lowenthal, The Past is a Foreign Country (1985)
- R. Samuel, Theatres of Memory (1998)
- S. Sleeper-Smith (ed.), Contesting Knowledge: Museums and Indigenous Perspectives (2009)
- J. Tosh, The Pursuit of History (2015)
- B. Southgate, Why Bother with History? (2005)
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
01/10/2011
Last revision date
30/01/2023
Key words search
Past, History, Heritage, Public History