B01
BA (Honours) History
Programme Guide
Contents
Part 1
Part 2
How to use this Programme Guide
Being a history student at the Open University
Pathways through BA (Honours) History
Appendix A Learning outcomes
Appendix B Your pathway: planning form
Copyright © The Open University
2010
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How to use this Programme Guide
We would like you to regard this guide as a useful tool in helping you to come to a decision about
whether you wish to study B01 BA (Hons) History and, if so, to help you plan and pursue your studies.
If you do undertake the BA (Hons) History programme, this guide will be an essential companion as
you progress through your studies and plan your choices. You will want to return to different sections
at the relevant points during your planning and studies.
The guide is divided into sections and we suggest that you read the guide in sections, as follows:
Part 1 Being a history student at the Open University
Read this part first to find out more about the structure and content of the BA (Hons) History
programme. Read this before you begin studying history with the Open University and also when
you are contemplating linking your history studies to a qualification.
Part 2 Pathways through BA (Honours) History
Once you have decided to work towards the BA (Hons) History, use this part in order to plan your
courses and pathway through the degree programme. (You should revisit it during your studies.)
The appendices
These provide information that supports Parts 1 and 2 of the guide, including a planning form to
use when you are constructing your pathway through the programme.
We suggest that you plot out your course choices right at the start of your studies, completing
Appendix B and using this guide as your reference. (You may, of course, revisit these choices at any
time before actual course registration.)
This guide is regularly updated and so you will need to refer to the latest versions as you progress
through your programme. You are strongly advised to check regularly for new developments and new
courses. You can, of course, also obtain useful information about your studies from other sources,
including the Study at the OU website (see Section 2.6 for details).
You can register your intention to study for this degree when you reserve your place on individual
courses (and we encourage you to do this), or you can ask us at any time to link courses that you have
already studied towards the degree. If you wish to be considered for this qualification, please note that
you must link your studies with B01 BA (Hons) History. You will not be awarded this degree if you
have not made this link.
Best wishes to you all as you embark upon, or continue, your history studies at the Open University.
We are sure that your enjoyment of the subject will be enhanced as you progress. We do hope that this
guide will help you to plan and organise your study and make you aware that you are part of our
Department of History.
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Part 1
Being a history student at the Open University
Read this part first to find out more about the structure and content of the BA (Hons) History
programme. Read this before you begin studying history with the Open University and also when you
are contemplating linking your history studies to a qualification.
Contents
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Your qualification and employment
1.3 Educational aims of the programme
1.4 Learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes
Programme learning outcomes
1.5 Assessment
1.6 The curriculum
1.7 The programme
Starting your studies
Entering the programme at Level 2
Progression
The structure of the programme and credit points required
The history core
Compulsory courses - Level 2
Compulsory courses - Level 3
Core optional courses – Level 2 and 3
Level 1 study
Classification of your degree
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1.1
Introduction
History is a wonderful and all absorbing academic subject. Without a memory of our past, we are as
incapacitated as is an individual with amnesia. The discipline of history is all about how we, as a
society, make sure that our account of the past is relevant to us, is full and accurate, and appropriately
interpreted. In order to do this we need not only to read narratives of the past written by reputable
historians but also to return to the records of the past and to study them carefully, in the light of up to
date knowledge and interpretation.
The BA (Hons) History aims to offer a programme of enjoyable and rewarding courses that attract
enthusiastic students with a particular interest in the subject, many of whom are also building a degree
that they hope will lead to a career that draws upon the skills they have practised and perfected during
their studies. By the time that you have followed our programme of studies we hope that you will not
only have studied aspects of history, but also that you will be trained in the discipline of history. (You
would be ready, if you achieved a good honours degree, to go on to study for a MA in History.) This is
why there is a set programme of historical study at the Open University – why some courses are
acceptable for this qualification and others are not.
The History degree is closely referenced to the national recommendations of the History
Benchmarking Group (which suggest the appropriate features of a single-subject history degree in all
universities in the country) and also to the Quality Assurance Agency’s Frameworks of Higher
Education Study. You can, therefore, have confidence that when you study for this qualification your
studies are equivalent to (but not exactly the same as) those of students of history throughout the
country.
1.2
Your qualification and employment
A single-subject honours degree in history has wide applicability to many types of employment, which
include teaching and the professions (such as law), the civil service and related employment, and any
employment that involves careful reading and coherent written communication. Employers value the
skills of selectivity, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and reflection that historians have learnt. Historians
also emphasise the systematic study of change, and of cause and effect – this type of analysis is readily
transferable to many contemporary occupational environments. Many of the learning outcomes of the
degree transfer readily to a wide range of other situations. When you make an application for a job,
you could find it useful to reflect on the ways in which your study of history fits you for its
responsibilities.
If you want to explore and research potential employment opportunities open to history graduates,
there are many sources of information. You can arrange to speak with one of the University’s careers
advisers by contacting your Regional Centre. Alternatively you can look at the Open University
Careers Advisory Service website and explore the section entitled ‘OU study and your career’, which
can be accessed at:
http://www.open.ac.uk/careers
Another useful starting point would be to look at the information on the Prospects website. This
external website can be found at http://www.prospects.ac.uk Information on history-related careers
can be found by clicking on ‘Careers advice’, then ‘options with your subject’.
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1.3
Educational aims of the programme
The B01 BA (Hons) History programme at the Open University aims to:
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explain what the academic study of history is all about (and how it differs from ‘popular history’
on TV or in books). Above all else, we aim to make you aware of the nature of the discipline and
subdisciplines of history (for instance, political, economic and social history) and of their
distinctive approaches and methods;
•
give you a good grounding in the history of the British Isles and Europe from the later Middle
Ages to the present, and stimulate and help to satisfy your interest in the subject;
•
allow you to set historical study at Levels 1, 2 and 3 within a degree programme that will meet the
quality controls agreed by the Quality Assurance Agency and encourage your progression through
the various levels of the programme. By the end of the programme, you should be able to engage
in independent study with relatively little tutorial support;
•
allow you to combine historical study with interdisciplinary work and enable you to set the
discipline of history within the context of other arts disciplines;
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allow you to specialise to some extent in certain areas;
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emphasise the practical aspects of ‘being a historian’;
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help you to communicate your knowledge and understanding to a knowledgeable audience.
1.4
Learning outcomes
Course learning outcomes
For each course that you study there are specified learning outcomes that are appropriate to the level of
study. (For example, at Level 1 we would not ask you to be able to work as independently as we
expect at Level 3 and courses at these levels will recognise this.) These learning outcomes describe the
knowledge and understanding you will acquire as you study the course, as well as what you will be
able to do when you have completed that course, always assuming that you engaged in appropriate
study, put in the required effort and acted upon feedback. The learning outcomes are usually listed in
four categories:
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knowledge and understanding;
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cognitive skills;
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practical and/or professional skills;
•
key skills.
You are encouraged, throughout your studies, to reflect on your achievements against the learning
outcomes for the courses you are studying. In component courses of B01 you may find that each
assignment indicates which particular learning outcomes are being assessed in the assessment task.
Programme learning outcomes
In addition to specifying the learning outcomes of component courses, it is now a national requirement
that universities list the outcomes for all the qualifications they offer, such as diplomas or degrees.
You will see that the programme learning outcomes on the next pages are grouped in the same four
categories as the course learning outcomes above. They describe the knowledge and understanding,
the cognitive (intellectual) skills, the practical or professional skills, and the key skills that you will
have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate as you study for a BA (Hons) History. We see them
as crucial. Although embedded in the study of history, many of these outcomes are readily transferable
to your everyday life and employment.
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If you do undertake B01, you will find it helpful to refer to these learning outcomes occasionally to
remind yourself of the knowledge and skills you are working towards. In addition to listing the
programme learning outcomes here, we have provided them in Appendix A as a ‘checklist’. As you
approach the end of your degree, you might like to use the checklist to record your own attainment.
You may also find it useful to refer to statements from it to support any applications you make for
further study or employment.
Table 1
Programme learning outcomes
A Knowledge and understanding
You will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
• history as a systematic and reflective discipline producing bodies
of knowledge about the past, these being constantly subject to
controversy, debate, refinement and correction;
• aspects of the history of Britain, Continental Europe and North
America across the period from the later Middle Ages to the
present;
• the use and value of relevant concepts and theories, particularly
with reference to comparative method, intellectual history,
economic and social history, and political science;
• the processes of historical research and the evaluation and use of
primary and secondary sources;
• the nature of historical change;
• the insights historians can derive from interdisciplinary work.
B Cognitive skills
You will be able to:
• read critically and think logically;
• distinguish between objective knowledge, hypotheses and
opinions;
• apply such knowledge and understanding and other cognitive
skills to the solution of problems of a familiar and unfamiliar
nature;
• synthesise information and ideas obtained from a variety of
sources, including written and visual sources;
• use secondary and primary sources appropriately in your work,
appreciating the differences between them.
C Practical and/or professional skills
You will be able to:
• seek out, collect and select relevant information in a systematic
manner, using information literacy;
• evaluate and analyse historical evidence of all kinds, secondary
and primary;
• present historical discussion appropriately and provide scholarly
apparatus (according to conventions within the discipline) and proper
acknowledgement of relevant work by other scholars.
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D Key skills
When you have completed this degree you will be able to
demonstrate the following skills:
(a) Communication
You will be able to:
• discuss a complex subject in an appropriate manner in writing
and demonstrate your knowledge and understanding in clear
prose, using the language of the discipline;
• read and synthesise substantial amounts of material (frequently
not intended for student use).
(b) Improving own learning and performance
You will be able to:
• study and learn independently: including planning and
executing a study programme;
• seek and use feedback from the tutor, and through reflection
and self assessment activity, to improve performance in the
academic context.
(c) Information literacy
You will be able to:
• compile a bibliography.
(d) The application of number:
You will be able to:
• know where this skill is relevant and how to apply and
interpret statistical information in a historical context.
1.5
Assessment
In the programme a range of different types of assessment is used, in accordance with the
recommendations of the national History Benchmarking Statement. Most courses adopt the normal
Open University weighting of 50 per cent continuous assessment and 50 per cent examinable
component. The tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) that make up the continuous assessment
component may take the form of traditional history essays, extended essays, short answer questions,
statistical and computer exercises, drafts of independent work, and book reviews, depending on the
course and the level. (For example, you are more likely to be asked to complete an extended TMA at
Level 3 than at Level 2.) The examinable component may take the form of a traditional three-hour
unseen examination, or a project, dissertation or other piece of independently researched work. At the
history residential school your oral participation in group discussion and other work may be assessed.
Full details of assessment will be provided for each component course that you take as part of your
studies towards B01.
1.6
The curriculum
The word curriculum originally meant a course that was run. It had a starting point and a finishing line
and followed a prescribed route. We see the BA (Hons) History programme in much the same way.
The programme is made up of courses offered at three levels. You plan your pathway at the start of
your studies and you introduce your study of history early on. You progress from one level of study to
another. In other words you complete all your Level 2 history study before you take Level 3 history
courses. During each course you, the student, progress towards given learning outcomes and, by the
time you have successfully completed all your work at a given level, you should have achieved these
learning outcomes satisfactorily. By the time you have completed Level 3 courses, which involve an
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element of independent study, you should be well prepared to undertake independent study with
relatively little tutorial support, as would be the case, for example, in the MA in History.
In order to make this progression work well, we have laid down a core of compulsory courses and
optional courses. In your individual pathway through B01, you may study other subjects, for example
art history or religious studies, and progression is equally important in these courses. Wherever
possible, you should complete all Level 2 courses before starting Level 3 courses in such subjects.
Progression is important because in history we teach skills and concepts as well as what happened in
the past. History is a cumulative knowledge-based subject just like mathematics or French. Just as in
mathematics you would have difficulty in understanding advanced algebra if you had not mastered the
basics, and in French you would find fluent conversation and writing impossible without mastery of
the present tense and easy vocabulary, in history you would find it extremely difficult to understand
what is required of a trained historian at Level 3 without having studied Levels 1 and 2 and acquired
the skills taught at those levels.
You might also want to include the history residential school in your degree. The residential school
(AXR312) complements the compulsory level 3 course AA312 Total war and social change, and is
recommended as part of your programme because it offers a unique opportunity to meet other history
students and tutors and to take part in activities that distance learning students cannot often experience.
1.7
The programme
Starting your studies
The Level 1 course AA100 The arts past and present is strongly recommended as the starting point of
study towards B01. If you plan to graduate after 2014, AA100 will be a compulsory part of your
history degree and it makes sense to study this course first, as it is designed for students who are new
to Higher Education. During AA100 you will receive a lot of teaching and learning support as you
develop the skills and approaches essential for successful study in the arts and humanities.
After AA100, we suggest that most students would benefit from further study at level 1 before
embarking on more specialised courses at level 2. The 30 point course A150 Voices and texts has been
designed to follow AA100 and to develop the skills you will have learned in AA100. You could pair
this course with another 30 point course such as DD131 (An introduction to the social sciences part 1)
or L185 (English for academic purposes online). Or you could choose another 60 point course such as
DD101 (An introduction to the social sciences) instead of two 30-point courses.
Entering the programme at Level 2
If you have already studied history or a related arts subject, such as history of science, history of art,
classical studies, historical sociology or ecclesiastical history at university, you may be able to get
credit transfer which will exempt you from some parts of the History degree. Depending on the type of
transferred credit you have been awarded, you might then be joining the History programme at Level
2, or even exceptionally at level 3.
Progression
Whether you enter the programme at Level 1 or Level 2, you should make sure that you study Level 2
courses before studying Level 3. (See Section 1.6 for an explanation of the importance of progression
through the curriculum.)
The structure of the programme and credit points required
In order to achieve the qualification of BA (Hons) History, you must gain at least 360 points of credit
through study of compulsory and optional courses, as set out in the table below. These are
requirements that you must comply with in order to be awarded BA (Hons) History.
As mentioned above you must include AA100 (60 points) in your programme and you are strongly
recommended to study this course first. You can then move on to the history core, which accounts for
240 points and is made up of a number of compulsory and optional history courses. Any remaining
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points (a maximum of 60) can be from any OU course(s) that count towards a bachelor’s degree,
bearing in mind the overall requirements for an honours degree. These ‘free choice’ courses can be at
level 1, 2 or 3 but you should bear in mind that only 30 points of short (10 or 15 point) courses can be
included.
The full regulations governing the BA (Hons) History can be found in the BA (Hons) History
Regulations which can be accessed at the Study at the OU website.
Table 2
Credit points required for the qualification of B01 BA (Hons) History
Element of programme
Credit points required
To be achieved as follows:
Level 1 compulsory
60 points at Level 1
AA100 (or the discontinued
courses A103, AZX103 or
A102)
History Core
240 points at levels 2 and 3
(1) 60 points of Level 2 history:
A200 (or, the discontinued
courses A220 and A221)
(2) 60 points of Level 3 history:
AA312 OR A326
(3) 120 points of history,
including at least 60 points at
level 3, selected from the ‘Core
Optional courses’.
Free Choice
60 points at Levels 1, 2 or 3
Not more than 30 points of short
(10 or 15 point) courses
Selected from any course(s) that
count towards a bachelor’s
degree
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The history core
In this section we detail the courses that make up the 240-point history core. These include
compulsory courses and core optional courses
Compulsory courses
Level 2
You must pass either
A200 Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900 (60 points)
OR (the discontinued courses)
A220 Princes and Peoples: France and the British Isles 1620–1714 (30 points)
AND
A221 State, Economy and Nation in Nineteenth-Century Europe (30 points)
Until at least 2017 you will be able to offer either A220 and A221, or A200, to satisfy the compulsory
level 2 requirement. This is intended to accommodate students who have already studied A220 and
A221 but are not yet ready to graduate.
Please note that A200 is not an excluded combination with A220 or A221, so you can study all of
these courses if you wish and count 60 points towards the compulsory component and 30 or 60 points
towards the core optional component of the degree.
Normally you should take A200 (or the discontinued courses A220 or A221) before you study AA312.
(Please read Section 1.6 for an explanation of the importance of progression through the curriculum.)
Level 3
These courses meet the University and programme requirements of students who are working for an
honours degree:
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They build upon skills introduced at Level 2.
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They foster more independent learning.
You must pass either
AA312 Total War and Social Change: Europe 1914–1955 (60 points);1
OR
A326 Empire: 1492-1975 (60 points)
Core Optional courses
You must also pass 120 points, including at least 60 points at level 3, from the following history
courses:
Level 2
A200 Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900 (60 points)
A219 Exploring the classical world (60 points)
A218 Medicine and society in Europe 1500-1930 (60 points)
AD281 Understanding global heritage (60 points)
A251 World archaeology (30 points)
COXR205 English local history to c.1550 (60 points) Collaborative course, Oxford University†
1 For those students who have completed A318 or AA319, these discontinued courses can count towards the qualification as
an alternative to AA312.
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COXR206 English local history from c.1550 (60 points) Collaborative course, Oxford University†
Level 3
A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds (60 points)
AA310 Film and Television History (60 points)
AA307 Religion in History: conflict, conversion and co-existence (60 points)
AA315 Renaissance Art Reconsidered (60 points)
AXR312 Residential School. Total war and social change: Europe 1914-1955 (10 points)
DD301 Crime and justice (60 points)
DD306 Living political ideas (60 points)
CDDR300 Modern Scottish history: 1707 to the present (60 points) Collaborative course, Dundee
University†
CDDR320 Medieval and Early Modern Scotland (60 points) Collaborative course, Dundee
University†
COXR305 Local history via the Internet (60 points) Collaborative course, Oxford University†
Subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses A209, A220, A221,
A231, AT272, AS208, A353, A354, AA303, AA313, AT308, AA309, AA311, AAXR312, A420,
A422, A424, A425, A426, A427, A428, A433, AS283, CDDR310†, CDDR311†.
†You may count up to 240 points of transferred credit towards the B01 degree and collaborative
courses count as part of this 240 point maximum. If you include any collaborative courses, you
will need to deduct the value of the collaborative courses you have completed from the 240 point
maximum in order to calculate the amount of other transferred credit you can benefit from.
Level 1 study
You must pass AA100 The arts past and present (60 points) if you plan to graduate after 2014.
(or one of the discontinued courses A103, AZX103 or A102).
If you plan to graduate in 2014 or earlier, you must pass 60 points of interdisciplinary study and it is
recommended that you take AA100 as your interdisciplinary course.
Classification of your degree
Open University degrees are classified according to the traditional four classes: first (1); upper second
(2i); lower second (2ii); and third (3).
For further information about how your degree classification is decided please refer to ‘Working out
your class of honours’ at www3.open.ac.uk/our-student-policies/
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Part 2
Pathways through BA (Honours) History
Use this part once you have decided to work towards the BA (Hons) History in order to plan your
courses and pathway through the degree. (You should revisit it during your studies.)
Contents
2.1 Sample pathways
Pathway 1: The ‘broad range of history’ pathway
Pathway 2: Specialisation in ancient history
Pathway 3: Specialisation in heritage studies
Pathway 4: Specialisation in Scottish history
Pathway 5: Specialisation in politics
2.2 Planning your pathway
2.3 Linking your study to the correct qualification
2.4 Credit Transfer
2.5 Taking your studies further
2.6 Where to get further advice
2.7 Subject-specific learning and assessment skills
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2.1
Sample pathways
In Part 1 of this guide we made an analogy between this course and the original meaning of word
curriculum as a course that was run, with a starting point, finishing line and prescribed route. The
analogy is not wholly adequate, however, because in the BA (Hons) History programme you make
choices about which route you will take.
In this part of the guide we present some of the ways in which different routes (or pathways) through
the degree can enable you to specialise in areas that particularly capture your interest, while meeting
the requirements for a single-subject honours degree. The pathways in this section do not exhaust all
the possible routes to BA (Hons) History and you may find other combinations of courses that you
prefer.
Please note that you may begin your studies with a Level 2 course (rather than with AA100), if you
have prior experience of university study of history and have received an award of credit transfer that
covers AA100.
The degree is made up of 360 points of credit, of which 240 points are taken up by the history core.
The credit points required for B01 are set out in Section 1.7.
With all study at the Open University it is important to make sure that your courses are linked to the
qualification you are aiming for. Make sure that the courses you choose may be linked to the
qualification of B01 BA (Hons) History and that you do request that this linkage is made. As you
study for your degree it is likely that new courses will come on stream that can count toward this
qualification and so during your studies you should regularly check updated information on the Study
at the OU website. This guide will also be regularly updated.
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Pathway 1
The ‘broad range of history’ pathway
History Core
Level 2 compulsory
Level 3
History Options
Level 1 compulsory
Free Choice
(60pts)
(60 pts)
(120pts, at least 60
at level 3)
(60pts)
(60pts)
AA100 (60 pts)
A150 (30 pts)
DD131 (30 pts)
A200 (60 pts)
A218 (60 pts)
A326 (60 pts)
AA312 (60 pts)
Level 1
AA100 The arts past and present1
A150
Voices and texts
DD131 Introducing the social sciences part 1
Level 2
A200
Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-19002
A218
Medicine and society in Europe 1500-1930
Level 3
A326
Empire: 1492-1975
AA312 Total War and Social Change: Europe 1914–1955
1 Or the discontinued courses A103, AZX103 or A102
2 Or the discontinued courses A220 AND A221
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Pathway 2
History, specialising in ancient history
History Core
Level 2 compulsory
Level 3
History Options
Level 1 compulsory
Free Choice
(60pts)
(60 pts)
(120pts, at least 60
at level 3)
(60pts)
(60pts)
AA100 (60 pts)
A150 (30 pts)
DD131 (30 pts)
A200 (60 pts)
A219 (60 pts)
A326 (60 pts)
A330 (60 pts)
Level 1
AA100 The arts past and present1
A150
Voices and texts
DD131 Introducing the social sciences part 1
Level 2
A200
Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-19002
A219
Exploring the classical world
Level 3
A326
Empire: 1492-1975
A330
Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds
1 Or the discontinued courses A103, AZX103 or A102
2 Or the discontinued courses A220 AND A221
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Pathway 3
History, specialising in heritage studies
History Core
Level 2 compulsory
Level 3
History Options
Level 1 compulsory
Free Choice
(60pts)
(60 pts)
(120pts, at least 60
at level 3)
(60pts)
(60pts)
AA100 (60 pts)
DD101 (60 pts)
A200 (60 pts)
AD281 (60 pts)
A326 (60 pts)
AA312 (60 pts)
Level 1
AA100 The arts past and present1
DD101 Introducing the social sciences
Level 2
A200
Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-19002
AD281 Understanding global heritage
Level 3
A326
Empire: 1492-1975
AA312 Total War and Social Change: Europe 1914–1955
1 Or the discontinued courses A103, AZX103 or A102
2 Or the discontinued courses A220 AND A221
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Pathway 4
History, specialising in Scottish history
History Core
Level 2 compulsory
Level 3
History Options
Level 1 compulsory
Free Choice
(60pts)
(60 pts)
(120pts, at least 60
at level 3)
(60pts)
(60pts)
AA100 (60 pts)
DD101 (60 pts)
A200 (60 pts)
A326 (60 pts)
CDDR320 (60 pts)
CDDR300 (60 pts)
Level 1
AA100 The arts past and present1
DD101 Introducing the social sciences
Level 2
A200
Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-19002
Level 3
A326
Empire: 1492-1975
CDDR320
Medieval and early modern Scotland (collaborative course)
CDDR300
Modern Scottish history (collaborative course)
These collaborative courses are offered by Dundee University. See
http://www.open.ac.uk/collaborative-schemes/ for further information
1 Or the discontinued courses A103, AZX103 or A102
2 Or the discontinued courses A220 AND A221
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Pathway 5
History, specialising in politics
History Core
Level 2 compulsory
Level 3
History Options
Level 1 compulsory
Free Choice
(60pts)
(60 pts)
(120pts, at least 60
at level 3)
(60pts)
(60pts)
AA100 (60 pts)
DD101 (60 pts)
A200 (60 pts)
A218 (60 pts)
AA312 (60 pts)
DD306 (60 pts)
Level 1
AA100 The arts past and present1
DD101 Introducing the social sciences
Level 2
A200
Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-19002
A218
Medicine and society in Europe 1500-1930
Level
AA312 Total War and Social Change: Europe 1914–1955
DD306 Living political ideas
1 Or the discontinued courses A103, AZX103 or A102
2 Or the discontinued courses A220 AND A221
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2.2
Planning your pathway
We have not been able to illustrate every possible pathway but we hope that we have given you a
sense of some of the possibilities for study towards BA (Hons) History and the ways that you can put
together the required credit points for this qualification. We suggest that, as you contemplate starting
to study for the qualification of B01 BA (Hons) History, you try to plot out your own proposed
pathway in a diagram, making sure that it meets the requirements of the degree as set out in Part 1 of
this guide.
In Appendix B we have provided a blank pathway planning form that you may find helpful. We
suggest that you make copies of this form before you complete it so that you can experiment with
different plans.
Although you are allowed a good deal of choice when deciding your pathway, we strongly
recommend, as we emphasised in Part 1 of this guide, that you study progressively through the levels,
that is completing all Level 1 study before Level 2, and all Level 2 study before Level 3. As we have
mentioned elsewhere, it is likely that as you study towards the qualification of B01 new courses will
come on stream. You may decide that you would like to alter your pathway and study a new course
out of level sequence at the end of your pathway. If this is the case, you should ensure that you a)
study Level 2 history before you study Level 3 history and b) that you do not jump from Level 1 to
Level 3.
2.3
Linking your study to the correct qualification
With all study at the Open University it is important to make sure that your studies are linked to the
qualification you are aiming for. If you wish to be considered for this qualification, please note that
you must link your studies with B01 BA (Hons) History. You will not be awarded this degree if you
have not made this link. Make sure that the courses you choose may be linked to the qualification
of B01 BA (Hons) History and that you do request that this linkage is made.
You can register your intention to study for this degree when you reserve your place on individual
courses (and we encourage you to do this), or you can ask the University at any time to link courses
that you have already studied towards the degree.
Whatever course of study you decide upon, you must link your studies with the correct
qualification.
Alternative qualifications
The BA (Hons) History allows you to study the equivalent of two years of single-subject history, with
subsidiary courses adding the equivalent of one year of study.
It is a highly specialised degree when compared, for example, to the B03 BA (Hons) Humanities.
Should you want some degree of specialisation in history but do not want to turn your back on other
subjects, you may wish from the start to aim for B03 BA (Hons) Humanities with History, or the BA
(Hons) Humanities with History and one other named subject.
2.4
Credit transfer
You are permitted to count up to 240 points of transferred credit in higher education from another
institution towards B01. For further details about credit transfer please refer to the Open University
website, which can be accessed at:
http://www.open.ac.uk/credit-transfer
2.5
Taking your studies further
We hope that you will have enjoyed your BA (Hons) History studies and will have achieved its
projected learning outcomes. If so, you may want to consider further study at a higher level. The MA
19
in History is an attractive option. As well as being a qualification in its own right, an MA is also
essential preparation for PhD studies. Before embarking on this course of action, please seek advice
from your Level 3 tutor concerning your aptitude for this work.
2.6
Where to get further advice
A good deal of information is available to you on the University’s website and particularly on the
Study at the OU website, which you can access at:
http://www.open.ac.uk/study
Make sure that you continue to visit the Study at the OU website because new courses that may be
studied towards the qualification will be flagged there.
A qualification planner is available at:
https://msds.open.ac.uk/students/qpsubjects.aspx
The qualification planner enables you compare your study plans with the approved rules for each
qualification. It does not take into account the detail of your own personal OU student record or your
own personal circumstances. Neither does it seek to recommend a particular chronological order for
your study that we think is academically sensible. We therefore strongly recommend that you talk to
one of your regional advisers in order to confirm that your plan is manageable and will deliver your
academic goals.
Your plan will be matched against the current credit point requirements for the qualification concerned
and the particular courses that are currently approved to count towards it. Either or both these may
change in the future.
Information about
•
the ways credit from new courses can be counted
•
changes in approvals for existing courses to count
•
any time limits for credit from discontinued courses to be counted
can be found at the Study at the OU website. You are strongly advised to check that your plan still
meets the credit requirements of the qualification for which you are aiming.
You can also find information on the student website at:
http://www.open.ac.uk/students
Your Regional Centre may invite you to attend ‘course choice’ meetings.
The Faculty of Arts has a useful site that offers advice about both courses and programmes, which you
can access at:
http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts
2.7
Subject-specific learning and assessment skills
Please make sure that you read this section and that you come back to it from time to time
during your studies.
History, like other academic disciplines, has a vocabulary all of its own. Words that have one or many
meanings in day-to-day conversation can take on a special meaning in the study of history. Those of
you who know someone from the USA will have encountered a similar problem – by ‘pavement’ an
American means the ‘roadway’, whereas in the UK we mean a paved footpath that runs parallel to the
roadway. During our courses we introduce you to the ways in which historians are taught to think
about the past and the specialist vocabulary that they use. Sometimes you will find that terminology
used in other disciplines or subjects (for example, literature) has a different meaning within the history
20
discipline. Here is a brief guide to the most common terminology, much of which occurs both in
course materials and in the assessment process.
Analysis means breaking something down into its component parts, describing or defining them and
then showing how they relate to one another using approved critical methods. For example, a historian
might look closely at the events leading up to World War One in an attempt to identify causes. This
exercise will involve not only description but also selectivity. Another example might be analysing a
historical source, such as an extract from someone’s diary. In this case, analysis will involve
describing not only the contents of the diary in close detail, but also establishing the authorship and
date of the diary, its authenticity and its intention. Analysis forms an important part of every
historian’s work and we assess your ability in this area. It will not normally be an end in itself (for
example in an essay you may be asked to analyse the events leading up to the Great War and then
explain how this analysis contributes to a given interpretation of causation), although in gobbets or
short-answer questions the exercise may be restricted.
Assessment In this programme we deliberately use various forms of assessment: essays, extended
essays, short answer questions, formal examinations, projects, and reviews. The University uses a
system of end-of-course assessment that combines a continuous assessment element and an
examination component. In certain (unusual) circumstances, you may also be asked to attend a viva
voce (or oral examination). You will be given more detailed advice about assessment methods and
how to meet the assessment criteria in the courses themselves.
Bibliography A list of both primary and secondary sources that you have consulted for a specific
piece of work. You are expected to provide a full bibliography for each assignment and project. You
will be taught how to use one or more ways of presenting such a bibliography during the programme.
Requirements are simpler at Level 2 than at Level 3.
Comment See Criticise.
Course Specified study leading to the accumulation of credits, normally in denominations of 10, 30 or
60 points. A programme is made up of several courses.
Criticise means commenting upon an argument or a conclusion, and so on, and using the accepted
methods of the historian to do so. For example, if I were asked to criticize the Marxist interpretation of
the English Civil Wars I would have to:
a) describe this interpretation;
b) discuss its validity (using my study of contemporary (primary) sources and of historians’ work
(secondary sources) to help me);
c) reach a conclusion.
The word criticize does not mean violently objecting to something (indeed your criticism must look at
all points of view and reach a balanced conclusion). Rather it demands detailed, close work and
reflection.
Database A store of large amounts of information in any form, paper-based or electronic. In everyday
usage it has come to mean a databank held in a form that is easily analysed by using computers with
database software.
Description is part of analysis and, therefore, forms a part of the work of the historian. A balance must
be maintained, however, between analysis, synthesis, evaluation and reflection in any piece of
historical writing and description should never dominate.
Discipline of history is the organisation of history as an academic subject, with its own philosophy,
methods, approaches and rules. History is a changing subject. It also has a number of recognised subdisciplines.
Discuss/Discussion is frequently used interchangeably with criticism or criticize. In our course books
we often set self-assessment questions (SAQs) and supply relevant ‘discussions’ that summarise some
possible approaches to answering them. Questions beginning with the word ‘Discuss’ sometimes
21
appear deceptively easy. ‘Discuss the extent to which religion may be regarded as a sufficient cause of
the English Civil Wars’ requires you to look at the named interpretation (and locate it in the literature)
but also to compare it with other possible interpretations that you have been introduced to.
Document questions (See also gobbets and short-answer questions) These involve the careful and
critical analysis of one or more primary sources. You will be asked to consider a set number of
questions related to a source, regarding its provenance (Who wrote it? When? Why? What was its
target audience?) and its authenticity, reliability and bias. You may also be asked to comment on its
intended message (witting testimony) and on its unintended messages (unwitting testimony). For
example, school rules intend to convey the rules and regulations of a school to its pupils and some
other groups. (Intended message). They can also inform the historian about many diverse subjects such
as contemporary expectations of children, recreation and clothing (unwitting message). In addition to a
careful evaluation and analysis of the content of the document, you will be expected, therefore, to
show some knowledge and understanding of the context in which the document was produced.
Although this is a different exercise to an essay, you will still be expected to write in essay form with
complete sentences and paragraphs, and not in note form.
Engage with means not simply recounting the contents of a primary or secondary source, but
commenting on it in a way relevant to the question you are being asked to address. For example, in a
book review you will have to summarise the main arguments of an article or book but you will have to
comment on whether these arguments are convincing. In order to do so you will have to draw upon
your reading and activities.
Essays are short pieces of writing (generally no more than 2,000–3,000 words) on a specific subject.
Within the academic study of history, the essay is the standard form of assessment and it takes a
distinctive form. Usually the subject is provided for you in the form of a question. Essays test your
ability to demonstrate and display your understanding of a question and your ability to use analysis,
synthesis and criticism of relevant reading and learning to answer that question. They enable your
tutors to assess your knowledge and understanding of the course, and to provide you with assistance
where appropriate to further your knowledge and understanding. They also strengthen your general
powers of self-expression. To write a good essay you are expected to:
•
plan your essay with a clear introduction, development and conclusion;
•
use this plan to structure and define the actual essay (i.e. stick to it!);
•
structure and develop your arguments in a way that is clear to the reader, using punctuation and
paragraphing appropriately to lead the reader from point to point. Ideally a paragraph should
consists of one main point (a lead sentence) and its accompanying evidence, development and
illustration;
•
explore the different elements of the question in a clear and logical way;
•
reach a valid conclusion based upon the thrust of your own arguments;
•
back up your arguments by providing appropriately attributed evidence that has been properly and
consistently referenced. (The course materials will indicate the referencing system used by your
course.);
•
use grammatical and formal English, avoiding slang and colloquialisms. Take care to spell
correctly words that occur in the course materials and the question;
•
write in continuous prose and not in note form.
Evaluate Assess the worth of a view, an interpretation, or of a piece of work, using approved methods.
Exams provide a context in which you write a specific number of essays under time constrained
conditions and normally without access to books or articles. Exams assess the extent to which you
have actually understood the course content. They also test your ability to apply your knowledge and
understanding to particular problems with minimal preparation time. This requires rapid thinking on
your part. Normally you will be asked to comment on problems that you are familiar with. You are not
22
expected to reference your exam essays or to provide anything more than the briefest of quotations but
it is expected (particularly at Level 3 and beyond) that you should demonstrate that you know which
scholars have come up with which specific theories and concepts.
Some courses assess specific parts of the course by examination (for example, Block 2). Other courses
may experiment with allowing you to bring in a book or notes. You must refer to your course guides
and specimen exam papers for specific information. Specimen Exam Papers are provided to assist you
in preparing for exams.
Feedback Your associate lecturer or tutor will assess your assignments carefully and give you
feedback both on the PT3 and on the script itself. Make sure that you read the tutor’s feedback
carefully and use it to help improve your work. In some cases you will have feedback on your
performance in an examinable component, for example a project.
Footnotes B01 courses at Level 3 prefer references to be presented as footnotes rather than as
endnotes.
Gobbet Detailed analysis of set documents. Gobbet exercises, in the strict sense, focus entirely on the
set document and what information it can be made to yield and do not relate it to other sources.
Sometimes the words are used loosely to refer to any document in extract and any question related to
it.
Graduate A graduate is someone who has undertaken an undergraduate programme of studies and
satisfactorily passed the related assessment. A graduate will be able to:
•
use established ideas and techniques of analysis and enquiry appropriate to their studies;
•
critically evaluate information, arguments and assumptions, being aware of the limitations of given
techniques and the limits of their knowledge;
•
use information technology (computing) and information literacy (library) skills to search for,
exchange, process and evaluate information;
•
communicate clearly and accurately in English, being aware of the requirements, knowledge and
perspectives of others;
•
plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning and performance, being aware of their own learning
styles, strengths and needs;
•
frame and address problems, questions and issues, being aware of the environment and context in
which the problem exists;
•
use and develop further their knowledge, understanding and skills to contribute effectively in the
workplace and the wider community;
•
do these things independently.
Group presentations Currently this forms a small part of your work in the BA (Hons) History
programme. Some tutors may give you the opportunity for group work of this kind.
You will work with a small group of fellow students on planning, preparing and presenting a
presentation to a larger group of students. The planning stage tests your ability to work as a team
member, co-operating with others and ensuring that you make a fair contribution but do not dominate
any group discussions. To prepare your part of the presentation you may be required to work by
yourself or with others and will need to access a variety of resources to gather relevant information for
the presentation itself, including the internet,. When it comes to presenting your part of the talk, you
need to consider how you are going to communicate your ideas effectively and appropriately to the
subject matter and to the audience. You may wish to use audio visual aids, in which case you will need
to practice using these in advance. Because it takes longer to say something than to read it, a
presentation tests your ability to identify the most significant points and to communicate these clearly
and appropriately. Not all presentations will be formally assessed but you should be given some
23
feedback by a tutor as to the main strengths and weaknesses of your presentation. Where assessment is
involved, among the criteria upon which you will be judged is:
•
the extent to which all group members have worked together on planning, preparing and
presenting the talk;
•
the effectiveness of your talk in communicating your ideas in a way that is relevant to the subject;
•
how well you have identified and clarified the most important points.
Historiograph/Historiography History of historical writing or interpretations or method. Currently
we have no courses that deal with historiography as such. In history courses we pay particular
attention to the ways in which recent historians have interpreted the sources and to discussing how
persuasive and convincing these interpretations are in the light of your own work on primary sources.
This historiographical approach leading to engagement with the secondary sources is particularly
important at Level 3.
Information literacy Library skills are tremendously important for effective study. You need to learn
what bibliographical resources are available to assist you in searching for relevant books and learned
articles, and to learn how to use these resources to their full advantage.
Key skills Over the programme as a whole, you will develop key skills of communication, numeracy,
computing, information literacy and improving your own learning within the academic context of the
study of history.
Learning outcomes are what you should be able to do when you have completed a given study,
whether it be a block of a course, a whole course, a level or an entire programme. They relate to
several areas: knowledge and understanding of the subject; key skills of communication, number,
computing, information literacy, and improving your own learning (learning how to learn); cognitive
or thinking skills; and practical and professional skills. You will be directly assessed on some of these
learning outcomes.
Levels We use the term ‘Level’ to describe each of our courses. In the undergraduate programme these
will be at Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. (In the section on the pathways through the BA (Hons) History
degree you will have noticed that every course has a level.) Usually the level of the course can be seen
in the first number of its code – thus A103 is at Level 1, A220 at Level 2 and AA312 at Level 3. Some
disciplines also list courses with a 4 as the first number, for example A433. These courses, while
strictly at university Level 3, are considered more specialised and this is indicated by the figure 4.
Currently the Open University is developing a list of generic ‘level indicators’ that will indicate the
learning outcomes you can expect at each level regardless of discipline. Many faculties also provide a
contextualised description of what is expected at each level in the discipline concerned. You will find
one for Arts on the faculty website at:
http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts
You may be interested to know that all qualifications made by the University are matched against the
Quality Assurance Agency’s national Higher Education Qualifications Framework that describes the
expected outcomes for each qualification. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are three
undergraduate levels – HE1, HE2 and HE3 – that correlate roughly with each year of study in a
conventional 3-year full-time degree. HE3 describes the honours outcomes. (There are four levels in
Scotland where an honours degree traditionally takes four year of study.)
Monograph A specialised study of a single topic or theme, based on primary and secondary research,
and aimed at a knowledgeable audience.
Narrative has an important role to play in history. A narrative is a story. As we try to show in our
courses, there is no one correct way to tell the story of the past and as historians we use various
approaches, methods and sources to help us build up a convincing narrative. In a history essay
narrative will play an important part, if only because you will need to explain what you think happened
and the sources for your account, but it is just a part.
24
Offprints Photocopies of learned articles and extracts from books provided as common reading for a
course.
Parroting means simply regurgitating course material, word for word, without really understanding it.
When you parrot, you are not fitting relevant ideas together into an argument that focuses on the TMA
topic you have been assigned.
Plagiarism This is reproducing in your own essay, word for word or in close paraphrase, work other
than your own, without acknowledging it. We realise that students sometimes stray into plagiarism
without meaning to, often from inexperience. Sometimes when you parrot, you can also forget to
acknowledge your sources. You perhaps do not realise that you are quoting, or paraphrasing (putting
into slightly different words), so you do not give references. Technically, this constitutes plagiarism.
Even unintentional plagiarism, however, will lower your marks. This is another reason to try and put
your ideas in your own words, no matter how difficult it may seem. Deliberate plagiarism is another
matter. The deliberate use of another student’s work as your own is subject to serious disciplinary
action. Deliberate and repeated plagiarism of course material, or plagiarism of websites or any other
‘outside’ sources, in an attempt to deceive, is also cheating and is subject to official penalties. We refer
you to the Assessment Handbook.
Plan Always plan your assessed work in a linear fashion:
•
Introduction;
•
Development (listing points 1, 2, 3, etc.);
•
Conclusion.
(Brainstorming or spider diagramming are important initial stages but are not sufficient.) Make sure
that you cover all the points made in your plan in the space allowed. Redraft, if necessary, in order to
maintain a balance between one point and another.
Precis is a summary or abstract produced by extracting the lead (main) sentence from each paragraph
of a piece of writing and then using these sentences as the basis of a summary. There is a real art in
reducing a lengthy article down to a summary of just ten lines or so of prose. It is a useful skill that
you will develop in your studies.
Primary sources Evidence produced contemporary to the period or topic that you are studying.
Beware of assuming that:
•
Contemporary is equivalent to reliable. (Think about newspapers: the various daily newspapers
may not agree even on the age of a celebrity, even though all the newspapers are contemporary!)
•
Contemporary is equivalent to relevant. (Think about trying to write a history of the military
strategy of the second world war from a collection of cookery books!)
•
Contemporary means that all types of relevant evidence are equally useful. (Think of the relative
utility of, say, diaries, autobiographies, minutes of cabinet meetings, annotated committee reports,
newspaper reports, and photographs and newsreels in building up a convincing picture of the
involvement of particular individuals in policy making in the Second World War.)
•
Contemporary becomes less contemporary when it is published in your Reader. (It may not be
copied correctly but that is a different matter!)
Project A project is a piece of continuous prose writing that is longer than an essay (typically 5,000–
6,000 words). You are asked to address a question in the light of both contemporary and secondary
sources. Normally you frame the question for yourself, within certain limitations. These include any
subject and period parameters imposed by a particular course; your own level of knowledge and
experience; and the availability of relevant primary sources and the extent to which other scholars
have studied the field. In other words, you bring into play all the presentational and critical skills that
you have learnt at earlier levels in the programme. Projects are an opportunity to demonstrate your:
•
ability to devise an appropriate question;
25
•
understanding of relevant secondary material;
•
ability to evaluate a small but significant body of primary evidence;
•
ability to bring the primary evidence and secondary material to bear on a question of historical
importance;
•
ability to plan and manage time effectively;
•
ability to control your material and organise it;
•
ability to write to length;
•
ability to produce an effective and convincing argument and substantiate all key points by making
careful and judicious use of both primary and secondary sources;
•
ability to present ideas clearly and communicate appropriately with your audience;
•
ability to use a comprehensive referencing system and to provide a full and accurate bibliography.
Normally a project will not be a website, a database or an artefact, although it may include any or all
of these in certain circumstances.
Project outline/Proposal For project courses you may well be required to produce a project outline
some months before the deadline date for the project itself. This is not an essay and can be presented
as a series of headings and notes. Generally there is quite a limited word allowance given. The outline
is assessed but this represents a small proportion of the overall course grade. Its main intention is to
encourage you to select your project topic and to begin researching the primary and secondary sources
in good time. It also allows your tutor to consider whether your topic choice is appropriate to the
course and sufficiently manageable within the time and word allowance given. What you will be
specifically assessed on in your project outline is your
•
ability to select a topic that is appropriate in scale and subject area;
•
ability to identify appropriate working questions and themes for your project;
•
ability to plan your time with a research timetable;
•
ability to plan your project effectively in terms of structure;
•
ability to identify an adequate number and variety of primary sources and key secondary works
that are readily accessible to you.
Reader This is a collection of essays or primary sources that has been selected especially for use in the
context of a given course.
References These are part of the scholarly apparatus of academic history writing. Ideally a historian
supplies a reference for each and every new or debatable ‘fact’ or ‘interpretative point’ he or she
makes in a book or article. The historian also uses references as a form of acknowledgement of other
historian’s contributions towards his or her work and conclusions. We expect you to do the same in
your essays and other assessed work. At Level 1 and Level 2 you are taught a relatively simple form of
referencing that is common across the Faculty of Arts. At Level 3 you are introduced to forms of
footnoting and bibliography used within the academic study of history. References are not a substitute
for commenting and reflecting upon your sources in the text. For this see Engage with and Reflection.
Reflection/Reflect The study of history demands organized and controlled relevant thinking, and the
ability to transfer the results of this thinking explicitly to paper. In an essay, for example, you may
have reflective moments during the development of your argument but you will certainly have to make
clear in your conclusion the final results of your reflection. ‘What can we discover about the methods
of … From the primary sources and the secondary sources in the Reader?’ should lead to statements in
the conclusion such as ‘Our knowledge of the methods of X are at first sight largely derived from the
primary sources. X is shown to … However, as shown in the previous pages, the secondary sources
actually set these primary sources in a context selected by the author. I would certainly not have
26
known that X was a Marxist had this not been pointed out by Y. Moreover, my approach to X’s
methods was guided by Y. This has led to speculation on the ways in which historical knowledge is
acquired.’
Research diary/Tutorial diary Generally research diaries are not assessed but they may be required
to provide evidence that the project is your own work. They have a more important purpose in the
context of your learning. Research diaries are intended to help you gather together in a systematic way
all your notes, ideas, research questions and bibliographical information. The format chosen is your
own choice but you may well find that a ring binder is a useful way of managing your different bits of
information. On some courses you may be advised to keep a tutorial diary or journal. In this you will
be advised to keep, alongside your study notes, your TMAs, feedback and self-evaluation notes.
Review A short commentary on an individual book or article (normally about 500 words) that offers a
summary of the central arguments and findings and an evaluation of them. When assessed, this tests
your ability to identify the purpose and central arguments of the book or article, to summarise these
accurately, and to criticise them in the context of your wider reading and understanding of the topic
involved.
Secondary sources These are works of modern scholars, particularly historians, commenting upon
and interpreting the past.
Self-evaluation We encourage you to reflect on what you have learnt and how well you have done
against learning outcomes and outcomes-based marking criteria. From time to time you may be asked
to submit a self-evaluation of your performance (in a TMA for example) and you may be given a
checklist to help you. You should take this opportunity to think hard about what you have achieved
and what you just cannot get to grips with. You should present your self-evaluation in note form.
Perhaps you can use these notes to help you address any problems you are having by, for example,
raising the matter with your tutor.
Set books Course teams are aware that students learning at a distance often have difficulty in
accessing library resources. It is, however, important that all students have a common body of reading
upon which to draw. This common core of reading is provided by set books and Offprints.
Short answer questions Sometimes you will be asked to answer briefly a number of questions within
a TMA or an exam question. Typically such questions will relate to a specified text or visual image.
You will be given detailed instructions regarding the content of your answers. Unless you are
specifically told that note form answers are acceptable, you must answer in complete sentences and
paragraphs. Learning outcomes that are being assessed here include the ability to focus very precisely
on the reading and interpretation of a visual or written text, drawing on your study materials, and to
express your answer both concisely and coherently.
Statistical exercises are included on some courses. You may be asked to comment on statistics that
have been collected by other historians or you may be asked to derive your own statistics from primary
sources. You will be given guidance on how to present your work.
Sub-disciplines The sub-disciplines of history include: political history; economic and social history;
film and television history; gender history; religious history; history of science; history of ideas; and so
forth. We aim to introduce you to aspects of these sub-disciplines in courses produced by the
Department of History. Other departments may emphasize one or other of these sub-disciplines. For
instance, at the Open University we have a separate Department of the History of Science, Technology
and Medicine.
Summary A brief description of what has been written or what has happened. At Level 1 you will
practise this skill. It will form a small but important part of your work thereafter. If you choose to enter
the programme at Level 2, you must make sure that you have mastered this skill.
Synthesize/Synthesis These terms refer to bringing together different sources in order to provide an
overall account or interpretation. In historical writing you are expected to offer criticism in the course
of such a synthesis.
27
Textbook A book designed for a student audience. A book designed to accompany particular courses.
This may be a general survey, which typically covers a lengthy chronological period, or a more
detailed, topic-based account. It will offer a synthesis of scholarly work in the area, although textbooks
designed for advanced students may also offer the results of original primary research in an easily
digestible form.
Tutorials These are an optional part of your study programme. We cannot stress enough how valuable
this opportunity is if you are able to take advantage of it. Some courses offer e-tutorials and
conferencing as alternatives or as substitutes, or in addition to face-to-face sessions.
Writing to length This is an important skill. You are allocated a given word limit for each piece of
assessed work and you must ensure that you comply with this in answering the whole question. Using
too few words is almost as bad as using too many! Make sure that you plan your answer and that you
maintain a balance between one part and another in the completed answer. Redrafting is frequently
necessary to ensure that an answer is balanced.
28
Appendix A Programme learning outcomes
This appendix sets out the learning outcomes for the B01 degree programme. On completion of your degree you should be able to demonstrate all the learning
outcomes.
Use this appendix to remind yourself of the knowledge and skills you are working towards, as you study for the BA (Hons) History. Towards the end of your
degree you might like to use the tables as a checklist to record your own attainment or extract statements from it to support any applications you make for
further study or employment.
A Knowledge and understanding
Comments
You will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
• history as a systematic and reflective discipline producing bodies of
knowledge about the past, these being constantly subject to controversy,
debate, refinement and correction;
• aspects of the history of Britain, Continental Europe and North America
across the period from the later Middle Ages to the present;
• the use and value of relevant concepts and theories, particularly with
reference to comparative method, intellectual history, economic and social
history, and political science;
• the processes of historical research and the evaluation and use of primary
and secondary sources
• the nature of historical change;
• the insights historians can derive from interdisciplinary work.
29
B Cognitive skills
Comments
You will be able to:
• read critically and think logically;
• distinguish between objective knowledge, hypotheses and opinions;
• apply such knowledge and understanding and other cognitive skills to the
solution of problems of a familiar and unfamiliar nature;
• synthesise information and ideas obtained from a variety of sources,
including written and visual sources;
• use secondary and primary sources appropriately in your work,
appreciating the differences between them.
C Practical and/or professional skills
Comments
You will be able to:
• seek out, collect and select relevant information in a systematic manner,
using information literacy;
• evaluate and analyse historical evidence of all kinds, secondary and
primary;
• present historical discussion appropriately and provide scholarly
apparatus (according to conventions within the discipline) and proper
acknowledgement of relevant work by other scholars.
30
D Key skills
Comments
(a) Communication
You will be able to:
• discuss a complex subject in an appropriate manner in writing and
demonstrate your knowledge and understanding in clear prose, using the
language of the discipline;
• read and synthesise substantial amounts of material (frequently not
intended for student use).
(b) Improving own learning and performance
You will be able to:
• study and learn independently, including planning and executing a study
programme;
• seek and use feedback from the tutor and, through reflection and selfassessment activity, improve performance in the academic context.
(c) Information literacy
You will be able to:
• compile a bibliography.
(d) The application of number:
You will be able to:
• know where this skill is relevant and how to apply and interpret statistical
information in a historical context.
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Appendix B Your pathway: Planning form
Make photocopies of this before you start to fill it in.
Year
Course
code
Title
Grade
TOTAL
32
Points
360
History Core
Level 2
compulsory
Level 3
AA312 OR
A326
History options
(60 pts)
(60 pts)
(120 pts, at least
60 at level 3)
240
Level 1
compulsory
Free Choice
(60 pts)
(60 pts)
60
60
Comments