Module overview
History, at its core, is made up of the stories of thousands of individuals. Often these individuals are the rich and powerful, but historians also study those with less authority and agency. In this module, you will look at sources and case studies about individual historical figures, specific texts, or small communities from the ancient world to the modern period, such as Anna Comnena, Pliny, and the sixteenth century miller, Domenico Scandella. By examining the sources made by and about these individuals and their surrounding historiography, this module invites you to think critically about how historians construct meaning out of documents and accounts written within specific contexts.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- engage with secondary literature on specific individuals or communities, and contribute to the debates relating to the historiography of individuals and communities and its relationship to the wider world.
- analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources.
- structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered essays.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- research historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in written essays and reviews.
- locate and use effective textual, visual and material culture sources in the library and on-line, synthesising this material in order to develop cogent arguments.
- utilise and develop your time-management skills.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- key secondary source material relating to historical figures and communities.
- key primary sources relating to historical figures and communities.
- the history of individuals, communities, and texts, in particular the way in which historians construct meaning out of documents and accounts written within specific contexts.
Syllabus
Topics to be explored on the module may include individuals and communities such as Anna Comnena, Pliny, and Domenico Scandella
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include lectures and seminars.
Learning methods include close analysis of a range of primary sources and discussion of key themes and ideas.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Completion of assessment task | 50 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 50 |
| Seminar | 12 |
| Lecture | 12 |
| Wider reading or practice | 26 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
N. Zemon Davis (1983). The return of Martin Guerre. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Smith, A. (2018). The Man Who Built The Swordfish: The Life of Sir Richard Fairey 1887-1956. I.B. Tauris.
E. le Roy Ladurie (1990). Montaillou: Cathars and Catholics in a French village, 1294-1324. London: Penguin.
C. Ginzburg (1981). The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller. London: Routledge.
David Brown (2012). Palmerston: A biography. Yale University Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Written assignment | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Written assignment | 40% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External