HIS5762 - Making History: Research Skills and Independent Study

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module students will be able to:

(1) produce an outline for an historical research project, including hypothesis/key question, sub-questions, basic methodology, and a bibliography of relevant sources.
(2) assess critically primary and secondary sources relevant to an historical research project.
(3) identify, understand, and discuss, the contextual scholarship relating to a specific historical topic, producing a critical analysis in essay form.
(4) demonstrate the ability to work independently and professionally as an historical researcher, and to reflect effectively and critically on their personal development of such research skills.

Content:

This module will develop the skills required to plan and begin an independent research project within a supportive learning environment, and reinforce research skills and historiographical understandings developed in other modules such as Research and Discovery and Problems in History. One semester will cover the basic skills required to prepare a research proposal and project, and will support the production of a portfolio, which will contain (for example): a basic outline for a research project; a brief annotated bibliography; a critical review of one of the secondary sources; and a critical review of one of the primary sources on the bibliography. In the other semester, students will focus on gaining an understanding of the contextual scholarship surrounding a key historical issue, chosen from two or more options. A basic reading list will be supplied, but further independent reading beyond the basic reading list will be expected of students, so they will be required to identify, read and understand, and integrate additional scholarship into the overall picture. At the end of the module, students will also be required to submit a short report, reflecting on the development of research skills over this and other modules at Level 2.

Learning and Teaching Information:

In the first of the two semesters, the development of the portfolio will be supported through fortnightly 2 hour workshops, allowing the students time to work independently on alternate weeks. The workshops will focus on briefing students on how to prepare each of the items to be included in the portfolio (eg outlines for research projects), and will also allow students to present work-in-progress to their tutor and peers. In addition, students will have the opportunity to submit a draft version of the portfolio to the tutor, allowing for revision before final submission.

In the second of the two semesters, students explore contextual scholarship on key issues through structured fortnightly 1 hour tutorials. The tutorials will ideally contain no more than circa 5 students, and there will be choice of at least 2 options, with more being made available in relation to the size of the cohort. Students will be expected to have completed one or two readings in advance of the tutorials, possibly provided in a CLARCS pack. Tutorials will be interactive (for instance, students will be asked to report back to their specific reading and respond to specific questions) and no notes will be provided, in order to foster the development of independent reading and reflection. Again, students will be invited to submit a draft version of their essay before final submission.

Detailed written guidance will be provided for students to support them in their writing of their reflective reports.

Workshops
Contact hours 10
Number of groups 1

Tutorials
Contact hours 5 per group
Number of groups 3

Assessment:

001 Portfolio 2000 words (end of sem 1) 40%
002 Essay 2000 words (end of sem 2) 40%
003 Reflective Report 1000 words (end of sem 2) 20%


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