1 / 16

Contested Pasts: Exploring History through Case Studies and Public Engagement

This module aims to introduce first-year students to the study of history, highlighting the contested nature of historical knowledge and the importance of exploring differing viewpoints. The module includes case studies on the Crusades, Slavery, and the Rwandan Genocide, as well as a focus on public history and how history is communicated to the public. Students will engage in weekly lectures, tutorials, online discussions, guest speakers, individual essays, group projects, and presentations. The module also encourages critical thinking, disciplinary skills development, and teamwork.

mcgriffb
Download Presentation

Contested Pasts: Exploring History through Case Studies and Public Engagement

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Queen’s University of Belfast School of History and Anthropology HIS1001 HISTORY & HISTORIANSContested Pasts

  2. Aims of Module • To introduce first-year students to history and its study at university: • To reflect upon the nature of the historical discipline • To understand the contested and limited nature of historical knowledge • To explore the dangers of simplistic explanations • To provide an awareness of differing viewpoints • To motivate students and highlight the importance of history • All part of the QAA (2007) subject benchmarks

  3. Module Design Quandries • Motivation - engaging students with historiography and difficult conceptual questions • Sources - encouraging students to approach both primary sources and historical writing in a more critical manner • Skills - developing disciplinary and learning skills • Logistics - additional teaching resources for c.160-200 students

  4. Approach of Module 1) ‘Contested Pasts’ Provide a discursive framework via three case studies: Crusades, Slavery, Rwandan Genocide

  5. 2) ‘Public History’ = The Legacy of the Past

  6. 3) ‘Public History’= how history is communicated to the public

  7. Structure & Assessment Part One (weeks 1-7) • Weekly lectures (two) – two weeks for each case study • Two-hour tutorials each week • Weekly Online Discussion Forum/Journal • Guest speakers • Individual Essay Part Two (weeks 8-12) • Group Project (‘Public History’) • Group Presentation (week 12)

  8. Workshop Tasks • Online Discussion Forums • What are the advantages and disadvantages of this teaching approach? • Potential difficulties in implementation and how could these be tackled? • Group Projects and Presentations • What are the advantages and disadvantages of this teaching approach? • Potential difficulties in implementation and how could these be tackled?

  9. Online Discussion Forum • Weekly tutorial journal entries • Students submit six weekly assignments (400-500 words each) on different sources and ‘public history’ • Journals available for all tutorial students to read • Discussion • Entries and sources discussed in tutorial • General feedback given online by tutor • Individual marks and feedback after three and six entries • Follow-up online discussion (outside tutorial time) on related historiographical or historical questions • Projects • Discussion Forum used by groups to organise and discuss project work

  10. Structured Feedback

  11. Online Debate

  12. Group Project & Proposal • Aims • To design a ‘public history’ project (eg. documentary, exhibition, website, etc) based on one case study • To explore the difficulties in communicating contested and sensitive history to the public • To examine the relationship between academic and public history • To understand the limitations of ‘historical truth’ • To work in a team and develop communication skills

  13. Group Work Approach Structure • Assigned groups of 3-4 students • Scheduled group work for last four tutorials • Tutor provides weekly, progressive tasks for groups • Group Project Proposal of 3,500 words + appendices • Group presentation (15 min) at final tutorial

  14. Main Problems • Non-attendance by individuals • Lack of individual contributions Assessment Approach • A single mark for all students for project proposal; another for presentation • Students lose 10 marks from project proposal mark for each of group-work tutorials missed. • Students who miss all four group-work tutorials are marked absent for both the project and presentation. Motivation • Four weekly tutorials specifically for group work – task-led by tutor – weekly discussion/feedback from all students. • Using existing skills and imaginative ideas of group members • Engaging with sensitive and ‘charged’ historical debates • Prize for best project

More Related