Curriculum Information

Have you ever noticed how we know a lot more about the history of some groups of people than of others?  History books can tell us a lot about the deeds and lives of governing elites such as monarchs, heads of state, and politicians, and about religious leaders, saints, and aristocrats, not least because they have left behind records of their lives such as memoirs, biographies, and portraits.  This module aims to uncover the hidden histories of marginalised groups who are often left out of the historical narrative by equipping you with the detective skills to investigate their lives.  These underrepresented masses who social historians seek to ‘rescue’ from such obscurity include religious non-conformists, the poor, children, criminals, those certified insane, migrants, women, working-class people, and LGBTQ people.  You'll receive training in accessing, interrogating and interpreting a range of sources to investigate these otherwise hidden histories and will then pursue your own investigation.  Case studies could include: Healers and Healing in Early Modern Europe; Subcultures and the Subaltern; Sex, Marriage and the Family in Modern Britain; and Conspiracy and the Construction of Secrecy.