2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

HIST5170M Communicating History

30 creditsClass Size: 25

Module manager: Dr Adam Cathcart
Email: A.Cathcart@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

Today’s historians are as likely to be involved in debates on the toppling of statues as they are working in an archive. From twitter storms to media controversies, from podcasts to museums, the module helps students think critically about the history that surrounds us. We think about how the political present shapes the terms of academic debate – not only in Britain but around the world – and the impact that historians can have in contributing to public understanding of the past. Students also learn how to communicate their own research to different audiences and through different kinds of media. We explore the ethical implications of public history and the ways in which historians can learn from, as well as inform, the people and communities with which they work.  

Objectives

This module aims to help students understand how history is communicated, consumed, and contested in the contemporary world. Two-hour weekly seminars will allow students to debate and interrogate key issues relating to way that academic historians engage with broad public understandings and perspectives on the past.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Critically assess the main audiences for history outside of academia.
2. Reflect critically and sensitively on the ethical responsibilities of historians doing public history
3. Apply public history techniques to the study of a chosen aspect of the past

Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Employ effective strategies for communicating with non-academic audience.
5. Apply the technical skills to write and present a podcast
6. Work collaboratively to produce a coherent presentation on a methodological aspect of public history

Syllabus

The following is an indicative list of subjects that might be covered in the module:
- Historians and social media
- Contested commemorations in history
- Public history and collective memory
- History and museums
- The ethics of history
- Engaged research and collaborative history

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Practical	1	2.00	2.00
Seminar	10	2.00	20.00
Private study hours			278.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will receive written feedback on a 500-word plan for their presentation. Written feedback on the presentation will help students plan for podcast, as will a two-hour podcast training workshop.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Presentation	In-class group presentation (20 minutes)	50.00
Assignment	Podcast (15 minutes)	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Presentation: in-class presentation in small groups that reflects on the methods/techniques of an aspect of public history Podcast: a 15-minute podcast in which a chosen aspect of the past is evaluated for a public audience (students will be encouraged to engage on an aspect of the MA dissertation).

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 18/10/2024

Disclaimer

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