Assignments
Assignment 1 (worth 25% of the total mark for this module): Due Thursday, week 9, 26 November, 4pm.
Write a critical analysis of how TWO of the following primary sources can be used to write community and local history. 750 words for each source.
a) a parish marriage register
b) a census report for a town
c) census entries for a district
d) an oral history interview
e) a collection of photographs of a place
f) a ship's passenger list
g) alien registration records for a town
h) a Mass Observation interview
Use examples from the online databases and/or archives together with the secondary literature to consider the following questions:
- how can the historian use the primary sources to tell the story of a place or a community?
- what contextual information does the historian need to include about how the sources were compiled?
- what are the advantages of using the sources compared with other types of sources?
- what are their flaws? What might they leave out?
I encourage you to reflect on how historians have successfully used your chosen types of sources in their studies of places and communities.
The standard History marking criteria for Level 6 modules will be applied, and you will be assessed on how effectively you do the following:
- describe the context of the making of the primary sources
- explain their uses for the historian
- evaluate their possible flaws
- evaluate how historians have used these types of sources in secondary historical studies
Assignment 2: Community history website.
Draft plan (10% of total mark) due Thursday week 5, 29 October;
final website (65% total mark) due Thursday week 12, 17 December, 4pm.
Throughout this module you will be working on your own local & community history project, which you will present either in the form of a website or as a portfolio of pages.
The first stage involves drawing up a plan for your local and community history website of at least 500 words.
You should include:
- a short description of the project's aim and scope - what place or community? what time period?
- a list of the archives you will be using on the site - how will you display these?
- a plan or list of the webpages on the site
- a short bibliography of further reading about the place or community
You should consider the potential audience for the site. It should be aimed at local residents interested in their community's history. It should not be too basic (i.e. not aimed at children) but also not too dense with academic analysis.
Marking criteria:
As well as the standard History marking criteria for level 6 (available in the Subject handbook), this assessment also assesses your ability to:
- plan a clear and coherent web resource
- plan a manageable project within the timeframe available
- show knowledge of relevant archives and resources available
The second stage is the final website.
The word count is unlimited, but part of the assessment is your judgement about how much and what sort of information to include.
The website or portfolio should have at minimum:
1. a home page with a short introduction about your community or local history, and a table (or tabs) of contents
2. a selection of different types of primary sources. You must attribute the owners/producers of these sources. You should frame each source with a description of its context, origin, any links with other sources.
3. Images must also be credited. Do not breach copyright. Look for images licensed by 'creative commons'.
4. a page describing, in an engaging way, the history of the chosen locality or community, and include a chronology of events if this is appropriate.
5. a page for a bibliography/further reading.
Marking criteria:
As well as the standard History marking criteria for level 6 (available in the Subject handbook), this assessment also assesses your ability to:
- write for a public audience at an appropriate level
- use a variety of appropriate sources to write an engaging history of a community or locality
- show awareness of the connections between different sources and also their caveats as pieces of historical evidence
- develop clear and coherent website structure and content
- including original content and research
Do not 'cut-and-paste' from other websites, Wikipedia included.
Write a critical analysis of how TWO of the following primary sources can be used to write community and local history. 750 words for each source.
a) a parish marriage register
b) a census report for a town
c) census entries for a district
d) an oral history interview
e) a collection of photographs of a place
f) a ship's passenger list
g) alien registration records for a town
h) a Mass Observation interview
Use examples from the online databases and/or archives together with the secondary literature to consider the following questions:
- how can the historian use the primary sources to tell the story of a place or a community?
- what contextual information does the historian need to include about how the sources were compiled?
- what are the advantages of using the sources compared with other types of sources?
- what are their flaws? What might they leave out?
I encourage you to reflect on how historians have successfully used your chosen types of sources in their studies of places and communities.
The standard History marking criteria for Level 6 modules will be applied, and you will be assessed on how effectively you do the following:
- describe the context of the making of the primary sources
- explain their uses for the historian
- evaluate their possible flaws
- evaluate how historians have used these types of sources in secondary historical studies
Assignment 2: Community history website.
Draft plan (10% of total mark) due Thursday week 5, 29 October;
final website (65% total mark) due Thursday week 12, 17 December, 4pm.
Throughout this module you will be working on your own local & community history project, which you will present either in the form of a website or as a portfolio of pages.
The first stage involves drawing up a plan for your local and community history website of at least 500 words.
You should include:
- a short description of the project's aim and scope - what place or community? what time period?
- a list of the archives you will be using on the site - how will you display these?
- a plan or list of the webpages on the site
- a short bibliography of further reading about the place or community
You should consider the potential audience for the site. It should be aimed at local residents interested in their community's history. It should not be too basic (i.e. not aimed at children) but also not too dense with academic analysis.
Marking criteria:
As well as the standard History marking criteria for level 6 (available in the Subject handbook), this assessment also assesses your ability to:
- plan a clear and coherent web resource
- plan a manageable project within the timeframe available
- show knowledge of relevant archives and resources available
The second stage is the final website.
The word count is unlimited, but part of the assessment is your judgement about how much and what sort of information to include.
The website or portfolio should have at minimum:
1. a home page with a short introduction about your community or local history, and a table (or tabs) of contents
2. a selection of different types of primary sources. You must attribute the owners/producers of these sources. You should frame each source with a description of its context, origin, any links with other sources.
3. Images must also be credited. Do not breach copyright. Look for images licensed by 'creative commons'.
4. a page describing, in an engaging way, the history of the chosen locality or community, and include a chronology of events if this is appropriate.
5. a page for a bibliography/further reading.
Marking criteria:
As well as the standard History marking criteria for level 6 (available in the Subject handbook), this assessment also assesses your ability to:
- write for a public audience at an appropriate level
- use a variety of appropriate sources to write an engaging history of a community or locality
- show awareness of the connections between different sources and also their caveats as pieces of historical evidence
- develop clear and coherent website structure and content
- including original content and research
Do not 'cut-and-paste' from other websites, Wikipedia included.