HSMHCL: Working with Historical Collections: Sources and Audiences

Module code: HSMHCL

Module provider: History; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Rohan Deb Roy, email: r.debroy@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Working with Collections introduces students to a wide range of practical skills in the research, analysis, and presentation of historical materials, including documents, books, and objects in collections. Seminar sessions focus on working with archives and collections, research techniques, digital skills, and the presentation of historical collections to the public through media work and public history. We partner with the Museum of English Rural Life and Special Collections at the University of Reading and with the Berkshire Record Office in delivering this module.

This module aims to:

• Support students in gaining the specific skills they need to work with their chosen materials in archives and collections, e.g. palaeography, bibliographical skills, skills in object analysis and material culture
• Introduce students to a range of research techniques and digital skills
• Discuss how history is presented to non-academic audiences via public history, media work, and impact projects

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate research methodologies and techniques with particular attention to the value and relevance of the chosen primary sources;
2. Research the nature and context of their primary sources (whether textual or material) independently, and put them into historiographical context, with the use of appropriate bibliographical research;  
3. Develop their communication and media skills by presenting their findings in a social media piece aimed at a non-specialist audience, as well as an academic essay on their chosen primary source;
4. Make informed choices about careers related to history both within and outside academia.

Module content

Working with materials in MERL/Special Collections and the Berkshire Record Office, students are first introduced to the structure and use of archives and collections, with an emphasis on medieval or early modern/modern materials as appropriate to their specialisms, to the study of material objects, and to techniques historians use in the study of archives and collections, including digital techniques. Students select a historical object, document, or book, generally held in one of these collections, as the focus of their assessment and are supported in gaining the skills and knowledge they need to analyse and contextualise the item in their coursework. In the second half of the module the focus moves outwards to impact and public history in relation to archives, collections, and heritage, asking the students to think about (and in part of their assessment produce materials aimed at) audiences beyond academia. In addition sessions on careers and PhDs aid students in considering how they can move towards careers in or related to history. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The assessment for the module is an in-depth case-study of a historical document or object from local collections, along with a social media piece on that item for a non-academic audience, and each student is encouraged to develop the specific skills and knowledge they need for the analysis of their chosen item through a combination of group sessions held at MERL/Special Collections and the Berkshire Record Office, individual supervision, and self-directed learning. This object-based and problem-based learning may lead students to acquire technical skills such as bibliographical description and basic palaeography if relevant, as well as motivating them to interpret their chosen item and analyse its relationship to its historical context. Workshops introduce students to digital humanities techniques and teach students how to create a blog or vlog (part of the assessment), and seminars and case-studies introduce students to the different approaches to history required in public history, impact, and media work. 

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs