Modules
If you are on an Major Weighting in Archaeology
What do archaeologists do with the data that they collect during excavation and survey? How do they analyse and interpret these different types of information to gain a better understanding of the human past? This module takes an applied approach to these issues, providing you with practical training in different forms of data collection and analysis (such as experimental archaeology, environmental archaeology, and the spatial analysis of data using Geographic Information Systems). You will also gain practical experience of how archaeologists present the results of their work to a wider audience.
On completion of the module you will have learnt how to collect, manage, analyse and interpret different forms of quantitative and qualitative data through a variety of different methods. You will have enhanced your digital literacy, including developing more advanced skills in computer applications such as MS Excel, and the use of Geographic Information Systems, and developed your oral and written communication skills. You will also have gained experience of undertaking archaeological work in a safe and professional manner in a range of real-world situations.
If you are on an Equal Weighting or a Minor Weighting in Archaeology
Understanding the human past means studying the complex relationships that formed between humans and the different elements of the world around them, from plants and animals to geological formations and weather systems. In this module you will explore the different ways we think about these relationships, from perspectives that see humans as directly transforming the world around them, to more recent approaches that consider the ways non-humans have shaped human lives. The module will focus on European prehistory, and you will be able to choose the particular period that you wish to focus on.
On completion of the module you will have developed a detailed understanding of the different theoretical perspectives that archaeologists take when studying the relationships between humans and the non-human world. You will have learnt how to deal with philosophical concepts and debates, how to evaluate different sources of evidence, and how to think in a critical and informed manner. You will also have developed your written and verbal communication skills, learning how to effectively communicate complex ideas in a clear and balanced manner.
If you are on an Equal Weighting or a Minor Weighting in Archaeology
Archaeology sheds direct light on both life and death in past societies, and the remains of mortuary activity, such as graves, cemeteries and tombs (among other evidence) provide rich avenues of enquiry. This module comprises a thematic exploration of the archaeology of death, burial and commemoration, focused on the key debates and approaches to mortuary archaeology for early medieval Britain. For this period, mortuary data has been pivotal to understanding the changing and varied character of societies between the fifth and eleventh centuries CE and provides a critical focus to your studies. In doing so, you will also learn about a range of theoretical and methodological themes drawing on a range of regions and periods throughout the globe, from prehistory and the ancient world through to the later medieval and modern eras.
On completion of the module you will have developed a sound understanding of the different theoretical approaches we take to the study of mortuary archaeology, and how they inform our understanding of the past. You will have learnt how to critically evaluate different forms of evidence and assess competing arguments, and how to make reasoned, informed statements on the basis of the knowledge you have developed. You will also have continued to develop your written and oral communication skills.
If you are on a Minor Weighting in History.
History at Work will introduce you to the ways in which History is employed in a range of professional contexts – schools, museums, and the media – and provide you with experience of applying History to those contexts. During the Module we will explore the professional frameworks, government legislation, professional bodies, and ethical codes which structure the application of History in these contexts. Along the way, we will meet with professional practitioners to discuss their role, career routes, and experiences of working in these contexts.
Our interactive Lectures will focus on the policy and regulatory frameworks, confronting crucial problems in the intersection between education, heritage, the media, and equality and diversity.
Your small group activities will focus on dissecting those policy and regulatory frameworks, helping you to devise your own, improved professional framework.
By the end of the Module, building on the knowledge and understanding you developed in History Wars of how definitions of history relate to contexts and audiences, you will have a foundation to become a public historian who is professionally informed and experienced, having produced a real world, authentic professional document. This will prepare you for Curious Chester, where you will work to an external brief to produce a professional public history resource and reflect on your professional experiences.
If you are on a Minor Weighting in History
On Rewriting History, you study an historical subject from a specific chronological and geographical setting. You will work with a members of staff to re-evaluate what historians have argued about those subjects, and to produce your own histories.
There will be a choice of subjects from which to select your preferences, which may include the following:
• The Vikings – A Local-Global Diaspora
• Witchcraze
• Fear City: Danger, Disorder, and Culture in the Modern Metropolis
• The Holocaust
During this module you will consider how historians have defined the subject, what they have argued about the causes and consequences of the subject, what evidence they have deployed to support their arguments, and how convincing you find their approaches and conclusions.
Along the way you will hone the skills you developed from Global Histories, History Wars, Pre-Modern Movements and Modern Spaces in analysing historical arguments, and constructing your own historical answers.
If you are on an Equal or Major Weighting in History.
On Challenging History, you will study an historical subject from a particular different chronological and geographical setting. You will work with a member of staff to re-evaluate what historians have argued about those subjects with a special focus on the primary sources, and you will develop your own analyses of those sources.
There will be a choice of subjects from which to select your preferences, which may include the following:
• The Age of the Black Death
• Europe in the Age of Reason and Absolutism, c. 1660 to c. 1780
• Seeking the Promised Land - Black America, 1865-1977
• Imperial Endings: Britain in the Colonial and Post-Colonial Age
During this module you will consider how historians have approached the subject and its sources, how they have used the evidence to support their arguments, and how convincing you find their analyses.
Along the way you will hone the skills you developed from Global Histories, History Wars, Pre-Modern Movements and Modern Spaces in using primary evidence and constructing your own historical answers.
By the end of the Module, you will be well on your way to becoming a historian who is chronologically aware, historiographically well-informed, and curious, and who is trained in the skills and methodologies of cutting-edge, independent research.
In this module you will continue to develop your technical skills, and gain experience of working as a professional archaeologist, as you participate in an archaeological fieldwork project. Working under the guidance of professional archaeologists, you will learn to identify evidence in the field, record it effectively and present it to a non-specialist audience in a clear and effective manner. You will also undertake practical training in key skills such as excavation techniques, sediment recording, artefact identification and handling, as well as survey, drawing and photography.
By the end of the module you will have gained direct experience of the primary archaeological record, how it is discovered and recorded, the relationship between theory and practice in the archaeological process, and the logistics of delivering a practical project and associated ethical, and health and safety, considerations. At the same time, you will gain a range of transferable skills from your participation, developing personal skills in areas such as problem-solving, decision-making, team-work and personal responsibility. By taking part in a research excavation, you will also have made new discoveries and contributed to our understanding of the past.
This module provides a structured, university-level work placement for 4, 5 or 7 weeks as one continuous block / period with a placement provider (i.e. a local employer from the private, public, or charitable sector). It is designed to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.
The placement can either be organised by you or with support from university staff.
All work placements within this module must be university-level; this means:
- Undertaking high-skilled work commensurate with level 5 study (e.g. report writing, attending meetings, delivering presentations, producing spreadsheets, writing content on webpages, social media, marketing services/products etc)
- Physically placed (albeit part of it can be hybrid) within an employer setting in one continuous block / period for 4, 5 or 7 weeks for a minimum of 140-147 hours over the course of the entire work placement
- Where applicable, your existing part-time employer can be approached/used as the placement provider, if the high-skilled work criterion above is fulfilled for the full duration of the placement.
- All quality assurances/agreements provided by the University are adhered to, by you and the employer.
The work placement context may not necessarily, reflect your degree discipline per se, but rather, it will give you an enriched experience to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.
Curious Chester will ask you to work to an external, real-world brief to research the underrepresented past of Chester, its region, or other regions, and produce a professional public history resource.
You will work with internal and external partners, which may include Chester Heritage Festival, Cheshire Archives and Local Studies, the Grosvenor Museum, Chester Cathedral, the University of Chester PGCE in Secondary History, and others.
You will be given a brief to fulfil a real-world need identified by these partners and you will pursue an independent project to produce a public history resource, such as a learning resource, a digital catalogue, a transcription, a monument contextualisation, an exhibition design, a social media campaign, amongst many other possibilities.
You will complete some training in pursuing an independent research project which will prepare you for the Dissertation Module and you will reflect on your experiences as a foundation for applying for a career, assessing and representing your skills, and engaging in employee personal development processes.
By the end of the module, reflecting on the knowledge and understanding you acquired in History at Work, you will be historians trained in a distinctive historical place - Chester and its institutions - and will be prepared to be public historians who are professionally informed and experienced in producing real world, authentic outcomes.
The Level 5, 40-credit modules require a basic foundation of knowledge of your chosen language e.g. GCSE or equivalent, a Level 4 module in the same language or equivalent previous learning. This module includes an optional placement abroad, such as an intensive course at a partner university. You can choose:
- Advanced Language Development and Global Sustainability (choice of German, French or Spanish)
- Upper Intermediate Language Development and Global Employability (choice of Chinese, French or Spanish)
- Post Beginner Language Development and Global Cultures (choice of German, Italian or Spanish)