HIS2316 : Researching History
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Benjamin Houston
- Lecturer: Dr Jack Hepworth
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
Researching History will build on the Stage 1 modules Evidence & Argument and Historical Sources & Methods, allowing students to develop and practice their research skills by undertaking an extended independent essay, on a topic of their choosing. Since no two fields of history present precisely the same research challenges, this topic must be distinct from those studied in the Stage 1 modules – that is, dealing with a different country or region in a similar time period, or the same country/region in a different time period (or both) – in order to broaden students’ experience.
Outline Of Syllabus
Sessions will include coverage of refining a research question, searching databases of archival resources, calibrating a thesis statement, outlining an argument, synthesising secondary literature, analysing primary sources, and improving writing clarity and similar skills-based modelling of the research method.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 70 | 1:00 | 70:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 70 | 1:00 | 70:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 3:00 | 6:00 | workshops for work-in-progress project facilitations |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 36 | 1:00 | 36:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
This is a guided independent study module yielding an independent research project. Due to this, we are asking for less contact time for students to explore different research pathways and resources without fear of running out of time, and taking care to structure a consistent and supportive teaching spine throughout the semester to help them learn the process of doing research by breaking it down into actionable tasks, modelled in class but also with opportunities for students to apply it to their projects in seminar. That task list will avoid any drift arising from the slight reduction in contact time.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1 | A | 100 | Independent research essay of 3000 words (incl. footnotes but not bibliography) |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | introductory paragraph setting out research context, question, and/or thesis statement and/or outline of essay-- 500 words |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The formative assessment is intended to ensure that students begin the process of refining research questions and resultant thesis statement and project outline.
The extended essay will give students the chance to demonstrate the effectiveness of their independent research and their skills in planning and executing a project. As it will be the first time that students bring together their skills of gathering and analysing primary and secondary material in a sustained way, it will be valuable practice for the dissertation, which forms a major part of their final year.
Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- HIS2316's Timetable