A joint award of the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex
The information contained within this programme specification is correct as at May 2010.
UCAS Course Code: V100 Ipswich Campus (campus code I)
For guidance see the UCAS web site at www.ucas.com or contact Admissions on 01473 338833 or
e-mail admissionsucs.ac.uk|
Level of Award
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) Level 6
Course Summary
Studying history at UCS is a dynamic and ever-changing pursuit, shaped as much by the questions of the present as by the events of the past. We're interested in the experiences of individuals, families, communities, nations and empires and the ideas and events that shaped their histories. We seek to investigate not just what happened in the past, but why it happened and what it might tell us about society, culture, power, identity and the human condition.
Typical questions raised in explorations of these programmes might include: What is history and can we ever know the 'truth' about it? What forces and factors have shaped the modern world? Why did rural East Anglia witness an epidemic of arson in the 1840s? Was the twentieth century a period of progress or cataclysm? How has gender shaped men and women's experiences throughout history? What issues might we encounter when analysing census records? How has Britain's status as an island nation shaped our history? What made the early-modern mind tick? How did the witch-hunt in East Anglia compare to similar episodes elsewhere? How did ideas about race, class and gender shape the character of British imperialism? What causes genocide and can it be prevented? Who 'won' the Cold War and is it too soon to tell? What is the purpose and value of studying history?
Students are encouraged to debate and seek their own answers to such questions, and to learn how to formulate, present and support their own arguments in written and oral presentations. We won't tell you what to think, but we will teach you how to think. We'll guide you as you learn to research primary and secondary sources, evaluate evidence, analyse arguments, devise and debate your ideas, and express your own thoughts and theories effectively.
For more information visit the History website History at UCS|
Entry Requirements
240 UCAS tariff points for 2011
Flexible entry requirements for ‘mature’ applicants over 21 who in the absence of traditional entry qualifications need to demonstrate that they have the necessary ability and skills.
Course Aims
The aims of the History programme are consistent with the ethos of UCS and the criteria and guidance provided by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education (History - Subject Benchmark Statement revised 2007). These aims will be expressed here in terms of both general and specific aims.
The general aims of the History programme are:
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To provide an intellectually stimulating and satisfying experience of academic history with guidance and encouragement to develop both theoretical and practical capabilities in its study
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To enable students to develop subject knowledge together with subject specific, cognitive and key transferable skills of value in graduate employment or postgraduate study
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To promote increasing participation in education for the local community by supporting a range of learners, including non-traditional entrants, at degree level
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To exemplify the positive social and cultural influence of UCS within the local area by working with the local community, where possible, in the development of historical understandings about the locality, the region and its people
The specific aims of the History programme are to foster and inculcate the following skills and qualities:
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The ability to understand how people have existed, acted and thought in the always different context of the past
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The ability to read and analyse texts and other primary sources, both critically and empathetically, while addressing questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose
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The appreciation of the complexity and diversity of situations, events and past mentalities
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The understanding of the problems inherent in the historical record itself and an awareness of a range of viewpoints and the way to cope with this
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Basic critical skills and a recognition that statements are not all of equal validity, that there are ways of testing them, and that historians operate by rules of evidence which, though themselves subject to critical evaluation, are also a component of intellectual integrity and maturity
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Intellectual independence
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The ability to marshal argument in written and oral form, drawing on and presenting all the above skills
Learning Outcomes
After completion of the BA (Hons) History students will be able to demonstrate a range of specific understandings, skills and competencies. These are commonly described as generic learning outcomes (even though in the case of history they are often quite specific). Listed below are the specific skills and attributes that students are expected to be able to display as the learning outcomes of successful completion of each level (for full-time students each year) of their degree programme.
The assessment tasks that students are set throughout their degree programme are related to the overall goal of achieving these outcomes, by measuring the success of learning and teaching processes in developing the appropriate skills and abilities.
The criteria by which such assessments are marked are linked to these outcomes, in ways that are outlined in the UCS History Student Handbook 2010 and the UCS History Assessment Handbook, 2010, and which will be clearly restated in the documentation for each module. Learning outcomes, assessment types and criteria are detailed in more depth in the UCS History Assessment Handbook, 2010.
Level 4 (formerly year 1)
A. Knowledge and Understanding
B. Cognitive Skills
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Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the contested nature of historical knowledge
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Identify and explain the main concepts, theories and methods informing historical analysis
C. Practical/Subject Specific Skills
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Use appropriate basic documentary-analysis techniques
D. Transferable Key Skills
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Present material both verbally and in writing with clear basic structures and appropriate academic style
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Access, select and utilise materials using basic bibliographic and information management skills
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Employ basic team-working and time management skills
Level 5 (formerly year 2)
A. Knowledge and Understanding
B. Cognitive Skills
C. Practical/Subject Specific Skills
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Deploy historiographical comment effectively alongside document-analysis in relation to primary materials
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Demonstrate development of research skills through directed study and independent project work and towards the development of individually negotiated project proposals
D. Transferable Key Skills
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Effectively employ team-working, presentation and agenda setting skills in a structured learning environment
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Demonstrate written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to structure a variety of forms of writing
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Locate, access and make effective use of materials from a variety of bibliographic sources
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Effectively develop general time-management skills
Level 6 (formerly year 3)
A. Knowledge and Understanding
B. Cognitive Skills
C. Practical/Subject Specific Skills
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Integrate close reading of primary source materials into historiographical analyses
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Demonstrate research skills through the location, evaluation and deployment of evidence and historiographical analysis in extended individual project work
D. Transferable Key Skills
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Effectively employ team-working, presentation and agenda-setting skills in an extended group research project
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Demonstrate a firm grasp of written and communication skills in a variety of task contexts, including substantial pieces of written work
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Locate, evaluate, select and deploy bibliographic and other materials through effective self-managed research
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Demonstrate effective long-term time-management skills in conducting extended research
Graduate Key Skills (GKS)
Graduate Key Skills (GKS) are embedded within the learning and assessment activities of each module of the BA (Hons) History/Family, Local and Community (FLC). The Graduate Key Skills gained on the successful completion of individual modules are detailed in the module specifications.
The complete range encompassed by the programme is summarised below:
Communication
C1: Reading, selecting, analysing and synthesising information from a range of sources
C2: Producing different types of documents
C3: Participating in discussions
C4: Making presentations
Numeracy
N1: Collecting and recording data
N2: Working with data
N3: Presenting statistical findings
Information Technology
IT1: Preparing information
IT2: Processing and presenting information
IT3: Reviewing the use of IT
Problem Solving
PS1: Developing a strategy for using skills in problem solving
PS2: Monitoring progress and adapting any problem solving strategy as necessary
PS3: Evaluating overall strategy and considering improvements
Improving Own Learning and Performance
LP1: Developing a strategy for using a range of skills to improve own learning and performance
LP2: Reviewing and critically reflecting on progress
LP3: Evaluating overall effectiveness of strategy and present achievements
Working with Others
WWO1: Planning activities with others
WWO2: Working towards identified targets
Module Framework
The modules offered are as follows:
Level 4
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British Society 1534-1780 (20 credits)
British Society 1780-1918 (20 credits)
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Europe 1500-1789 (20 credits)
Europe 1789-1914 (20 credits)
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History Skills (20 credits
Decline of the West (20 credits)
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Level 5
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Local History: People and Place (20 credits)
Family History and Genealogy (20 credits)
British Rural Society 1780-1914 (20 credits)
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Gender in British Society since 1500 (20 credits)
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Europe 1914-45 (20 credits)
The Cold War (20 credits)
Maritime Nation: Britain and the Sea since 1500 (20 credits)
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The British Empire: Sunrise to Sunset (20 credits)
Group Oral History Project
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Level 6
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Dissertation (40 credits)
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Career Planning (20 credits)
Gender, War and Empire in British Society 1760-1930 (20 credits)
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Unquiet County: Social Crime and Protest in Rural Suffolk (20 Credits)
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The Home Front: 1914-18 and 1939-45 (20 credits)
A History of Genocide (20 credits)
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The Witch-Hunt in East Anglia and Beyond (20 credits)
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Benchmarks / Professional Standards / Competency Frameworks
The design of this course has been guided by the QAA Benchmarks for History 2007.
Timetable
Teaching runs for 24 weeks between September and May. A full time student is expected to complete 6 modules equivalent to 120 credits annually. A part-time student will take between 20 and 80 credits a year. Students can expect to attend for four to five hours per module per week and to study for approximately 200 hours in total for each 20 credit module. Students will be provided with timetables when they join the course.
Course Delivery
History is taught at UCS Ipswich. Lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials are held in the Waterfront building.
Placements / Work Based Learning / Work Experience
The level 6 module Career Planning provides opportunities for students to gain accredited and relevant work experience. This might be in education, library work, journalism and other relevant contexts and is very good preparation for postgraduate training and employment.
Tutorial and Study Support
Students benefit from individual academic tutorial support. Each student is allocated a personal tutor who is able to give guidance on study skills and personal development and act as a referral point if more specific help is needed. UCS Student Support provides specialist help with accommodation, disability, counselling, careers and employability, study skills and welfare.
Opportunities on Completion of the Course
History students go on to careers in teaching and academia, archive and library services, the museum and heritage industries, the civil service, local and national government, media and advertising, publishing and journalism, human resources and management, finance and industry and many more. Around 60% of graduate jobs are open to graduates of any discipline and History graduates are well equipped with the advanced skills and confidence to thrive in a variety of occupations. 'Employability' is taken very seriously at UCS and innovations such as our work placement module Career Planning in the final year help to equip our students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to prosper in the jobs marketplace. A number of our graduates also go on to pursue further qualifications at masters and doctoral levels.
Alternative format
Should you require this programme specification in an alternative format, please contact us on 01473 338000.
University Campus Suffolk reserves the right to amend the information in this programme specification as and when required.