Unit name | English and History Practice-Based Dissertation |
---|---|
Unit code | HUMS30004 |
Credit points | 40 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
Unit director | Dr. Matthews |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Humanities |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The English and History Practice-Based Dissertation is an exercise in extended independent research leading to the design of a practical output. Students are required to identify their own topic, informed by their engagement with the disciplines of English and History. They will write a supporting report (6000 words) setting out the project’s aims and objectives and the research process, and reflecting on the design and production of their public-facing output in dialogue with relevant literature. The exact form an output takes will be developed in agreement with supervisors, but could, for example, be a walking tour, exhibition, podcast or play/performance. Students will formulate questions to be asked, identify main primary sources, set the research questions in context of issues arising from the secondary literature, and carry through an analytical study to the highest standards. Guidance will be provided in the form of lectures on devising a research topic and using primary sources. Students will also be assigned a supervisor (from either the English Department or the History Department, depending on the disciplinary orientation of the project) who will discuss with them a draft dissertation proposal and an introductory chapter, as well as the particular challenges of the chosen topic. Students will receive guidance from their supervisors in meetings, which should not normally exceed three hours in each teaching block. Students are also free to consult other lecturers with relevant expertise.
By the end of the unit successful students will be able to demonstrate:
Across the year: 22 hours of supervision (mixture of group and one-on-one), 11 lectures and 11 hour 'festival'.
For this practice based dissertation unit, students will receive an integrated mark for the two components: written report (6000 words) [ILOs 1-7] and practical output [ILOs 8-10]. (100%, split 50:50 between the two components).
Sayer, Faye. Public History: A Practical Guide. London: Bloomsbury, 2015
Cauvin, Thomas. Public History: A Textbook of Practice. London: Routledge, 2016
Kean, Hilda. The Public History Reader. New York: Routledge, 2013
Smith, Laurajane. Uses of Heritage. London: Routledge, 2006
Black, Jeremy. Contesting History: Narratives of Public History. London: Bloomsbury, 2014