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BA History and History and Philosophy of Science

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year/programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:

1. Demonstrate coherent and detailed knowledge of:
- recent historical scholarship in the student's chosen historical specialisms.
- chronological continuity and change (hbp #16);
- how people have existed, acted and thought in a range of societies and cultures (hbp #12.1 and 17);
- techniques for close work on sources, both primary and/or secondary (hbp #18).

Especially through the study of a primary source-based Special Subject and a Long Essay or Dissertation (see hbp #21) involving original research.

2. Apply accurately standard techniques of historical analysis and enquiry.
3. Demonstrate their conceptual understanding through sustained argument.
4. Make appropriate use of scholarly reviews and primary sources.
5. Describe and comment on relevant aspects of recent scholarship.
6. Appreciate the uncertainty, ambiguity and limitations of knowledge in history.
7. Conform to professional standards and norms of ethics, presentation and communication of information.
8. Prove an ability to initiate, research and complete an extended historical project (hbp #21).

On completion of the year/programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:
- understand and demonstrate coherent and detailed knowledge concerning issues of realism and anti-realism; historiographical themes and methodologies; the inter-relationship between science, technology and society;
- demonstrate the ability to describe and comment on particular aspects of recent research and/or scholarship in history and philosophy of science, technology and medicine;
- make appropriate and critical use of scholarly reviews and primary sources;
- apply their knowledge and understanding in order to initiate and carry out an extended piece of work or project, as in a dissertation or appropriate module essays.

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

1. Qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment, such as independence of mind, initiative, teamwork, locating and handling information, analytical ability, problem-solving, oral and written communication, intellectual integrity, empathy (hbp #14)
2. Skills necessary for exercising of personal responsibility, including self-discipline and self-direction (hbp #14).
3. Decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations.
4. Communication of information and ideas to a variety of audiences, eg. through dissertation based on self-directed original research; class presentations; essays.
5. Ability to act as an autonomous self-directed professional through experience of independent directed research for a dissertation or long essay.

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

i) qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment related to the subject area(s) studied;
ii) skills necessary for the communication of information;
iii) skills necessary for the exercising of personal responsibility and decision making;

The dissertation component of the programme of study directly enables students to attain i), ii) iii): students that successfully complete a dissertation will have learned to exercise personal responsibility and decision making. The dissertation introduces them to a new and challenging means of communicating that supplements the 2000 word essay and unseen examination paper.

Other modules studied in the programme all present opportunities to attain transferable/key skills as defined in i) and skills of communication as defined in ii).

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

- Dissertation or Long Essay.
- Oral assessment (or small written exercises)
- Assessed Essays
- Examinations

To demonstrate in all cases:

- Ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline.
- Ability to produce work that draws on a wide variety of material
- Ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion.
- Work that is typically both evaluative and creative.
- Evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth original research within the discipline.

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

i) demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline;
ii) work that draws on a wide variety of material;
iii) the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
iv) evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the discipline;
v) work that is typically both evaluative and creative.

The dissertation component of the degree assesses students' capacity to attain all of these learning outcomes, most specifically outcome iv).
All modules assess learning outcomes i) and v).
Outcome iii) is more specifically addressed in the philosophical modules listed in group B1.
Outcome ii) is more specifically addressed in the socio-historical modules listed in groups B2 and B3.

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