4B014B - Thinking Like a Historian 01 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2033 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 4B014B
Module Title: Thinking Like a Historian
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Film and TV
Faculty Sub Group: Film and TV
Module Leader: Rachel Lock-Lewis
Module Team: Christopher Hill, Ruth Atherton
First Intended Intake: SEP 2027 Final Year of Intake: 2032
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 30
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100302 - history
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2027
Valid To 31 Aug 2033

Module Aims

  • Introduce learners to key principles and concepts in the study of history at undergraduate level 

  • Facilitate the development of academic history skills and the recognition of their wider application in employment. 

  • Integrate the students’ learning experiences in the classroom within USW’s support services.

Content Summary

This module equips students with the requisite study skills and key academic skills for the successful study of History at undergraduate level.  Through selected case studies, you will be introduced to various genres of history and approaches to its scholarship.  From the beginning, ways of thinking and habits of mind that are specific to the discipline are identified and cultivated with the aim of fostering a burgeoning identity as a historian.  The distinctive skill set developed through studying BA History at USW and its applicability to graduate employment is made emphatic in this module you begin your journey towards becoming an in-demand critical thinker.  Case studies could include: South Wales in Rising, 1831-1839; Reformation in Europe; The Home Front in Britain during the Second World War; The Rise of the Machines from Gutenberg to AI; and History in Theory and in Practice.  Your learning will be enhanced by embedded study skills workshops provided in conjunction with USW’s Learner Development Service.  

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminar 25
Practical Classes and Workshops 31
Guided Study 10.5
Groupwork 12
Problem-challenge based learning 151.5
Formative assessment 10
Summative Assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Interpret and summarise directed secondary works of history, recognising contending findings and conclusions.
LO2 Appraise the significance of selection, ‘bias’, context and perspective in the writing of history.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Onsite Oral Assessment Group Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) Presentation 8 N/A 30 No 100
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio 3,600 word written assignment (1,800 word essay + 1,800 word document analysis) 0 3600 70 No 100

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Group Presentation (Synchronous Onsite)
Portfolio

Reading List

QAA (2022) ‘History: Subject Benchmark Statement’ Subject Benchmark Statement - History  

Prospects (2026) ‘What Can I Do with a History Degree?’  What can I do with a history degree? | Prospects.ac.uk JISC 

Diana Hopkins & Tom Reid, The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guide to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University (London: Sage, 2024) 

Mark Donnelly & Claire Norton (eds), Doing History (London: Routledge, 2021) 

Tracey Loughran, A Practical Guide to Studying History: Skills and Approaches (London: Routledge, 2017) 

Ian W. Mabbett, Writing History Essays (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) 

Mary Abbott, History Skills: A Student’s Handbook (London: Routledge, 2008) 

Jim Cullen, Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think about History (Chichester; Wiley Blackwell, 2009) 

Jenny L. Presnell, The Information-literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007)