58勛圖

HI4996 Presenting the Past

Academic year

2026 to 2027 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

As part of the module curriculum, students will receive instruction in the ethics and law of film and oral history.

Planned timetable

TBC

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Prof T C Dawson

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Professor Tom Dawson

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module seeks to understand the ways in which history is made visible and audible to non-professional audiences. Although it examines alternative ways of representing history, it explores, critically, common judgements which surround acts of selection, arrangement, and presentation of the past. Through a historical examination of documentaries from the early twentieth century to present, this module encourages students to be reflexive and reflective about the practices of history and archaeology - from research to treatment to script-writing to filming to editing. To this end, students will be taught theories and technical skills necessary to produce their own recordings; they will learn how to approach documentaries critically, and how to write about them effectively. By examining history in relation to the media, this module will explore cultural uses (and abuses) of the past. It is hoped that this module will foster stronger bonds between scholarly and public history.

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

4000 word essay = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

2 lectures (X10 weeks), 5 practical sessions (X5 weeks), 1 field visit

Scheduled learning hours

25

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

275

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.