HST6801: Research Skills for Historians
15 credits (semester 1)
Module Leader: Professor Martial Staub and Dr Julia Moses
| Module Summary |
This module is designed to equip students with the generic research skills necessary for independent investigation and further study in History. Students will attend classes on libraries and archives; bibliographies and their use; ITC skills (database management, the use of web-based resources, advanced bibliographical management tools); handling and managing research data; and history and its audiences. The focus of the module will be on identifying and evaluating research materials, particularly primary source collections.
| Module Aims |
This unit aims to equip new MA students with generic skills necessary for advanced study in the humanities or social sciences and with the specific skills needed to undertake research in History. The generic skills will be of value to students when they seek employment; the subject-specific skills will enable students who wish to do so to proceed to doctoral research. The course has been designed to conform to the AHRC´s framework of research training requirements (October 2003) and the research council´s joint statement of skills training requirements. The unit aims further to enhance students´ personal awareness of their capacity and motivation for pursuing further study in History.
| Teaching |
The module will be taught through a combination of seminars and off-site visits. These will be led either by a member of academic staff in History with specialist interest in the topic or, where appropriate (for example in the teaching of bibliographical and ITC skills) by staff from the HRI or from CICS. Students will be given tasks to complete before each of the five seminars, which though not assessed will form the basis of small-group discussion and will contribute to the achievement of the learning outcomes. The emphasis throughout is on the acquisition and enhancement of specific skills. Students will be offered guidance about the preparation of the assessed tasks in individual tutorials.
| Assessment |
Each student is required to complete a 2,000-word commentary on a particular document or object located in an archive, library, or museum.
| Intended Learning Outcomes |
By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- An informed understanding of library and archival resources in Sheffield and elsewhere in the UK and how to use them.
- The ability to use a wide range of bibliographical tools (on paper and in electronic form) for the location of primary and secondary source materials.
- The ability to locate and critically evaluate archival, printed or electronic source-material for the investigation of specific historical questions.
- Refine their ICT skills.
- A personal understanding of their ability, motivation and interest in pursuing further study in History.