| Unit name | Public History in Theory and Practice |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISTM0023 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Tim Cole |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit introduces students to the issue of Public History through a multi-layered approach. In the first instance students would study general debates over public history as well as notable case studies with staff in the department, for example, the controversy over the 'Enola Gay' exhibition in 1994-95 at the Smithsonian Institution, or issues raised by a recent Icon films production for BBC2's Timewatch series, 'White slaves, Pirate Gold'. Secondly, sessions with practitioners would bebheld at Icon films, and at the Emire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol. At Icon students would learn about the tensions that inform the presentation of history on television. Film directors, producers and researchers would discuss these, and students would learn about how a programme is conceived, planned, proposed and produced. At the Empire and Commonwealth Museum marketing, education, curating and exhibitions staff would discuss the issues they bring to bear on exhibition planning, and would instruct students in the creation of an exhibition brief. Students would prepare either a tv proposal and treatment, or an exhibit proposal using guidelines provided by the external partners.
10 seminars, some of these led by external partners
This unit is assessed by a 3,000 word essay (worth 100% of the unit mark) and a 2,000 word TV proposal (marked on a pass/fail basis).
