2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

HIST5055M Practising Modern History

30 creditsClass Size: 70

Module manager: Dr Kevin Linch
Email: K.B.Linch@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

Working across a broad chronological and thematic spectrum, students will develop a critical and practical understanding of approaches to modern history. Expertise is available within the School of History at Leeds to support interests from early-modern to contemporary history, with particular specialisms in 19th and 20th century global, international and cultural history. Students will engage with a variety of approaches and methods, analyse texts, and hone their skills in order to interrogate and participate in debates between competing approaches. Students will participate in the research culture of the School. They will learn how to apply these approaches and methods in their own work to a variety of historical materials and forms of evidence.

Objectives

The module aims to develop students’ critical understanding of key historiographical debates and methodological approaches across a broad chronological and thematic range. In addition to engaging with debates and methods at an advanced level, it helps students to enhance their own skills as practitioners.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Analyse effectively key themes in the historiography and methodology of modern history
2. Understand and apply a range of often competing historiographical approaches, methodologies and schools of thought
3. Apply relevant approaches/methods to documents, images, material culture and/or other relevant forms of evidence
4. Write competency and fluently about the past

Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Advanced analytical skills: recognise and apply the variety of approaches and methodologies that can be employed to analyse complex issues.
6. Advanced research skills: evaluate with insight a broad diversity of sources and varieties of evidence.
7. Advanced writing skills: discuss complex evidence with depth, sophistication and nuance.

Syllabus

The module will be organised around a number of possible debates and methods, each of which each has demonstrated utility in the practice of modern history, and which may vary from year to year to reflect the current research of historians at Leeds. Debates may engage with certain themes such as social justice; warfare and conflict; imperialism and colonialism; trade, travel writing and commerce; the relationship between economics and society; diplomacy; religion and secularism; family and daily life; disease and biopolitics. Indicative methods may include interdisciplinarity; carrying out archival research; accessing and interpreting newspapers; ways of doing history from below or subaltern studies; accessing Alltagsgeschichte and ‘everyday’ life; learning how to apply cliometrics and demography; interpreting visual and material culture. Each year the chosen themes and approaches will vary according to the current research of available staff.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Practical	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	11	1.00	11.00
Private study hours			278.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will be given the opportunity to submit a detailed essay plan (no more than 500 words, not including bibliography) for the first essay. The deadline will be 3weeks before the first essay is to be submitted. Feedback will be delivered in writing by the tutor who set the question. This will help students better understand general expectations for the first summative assignment. Feedback on the first will aid student preparation for the second assignment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	Essay 1 (2,000 words)	40.00
Essay	Essay 2 (4,000 words)	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 18/10/2024

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