Search our site
Search our site

Capstone: an e-journal

  • Module code: HS6007
  • Year: 2018/9
  • Level: 6
  • Credits: 30
  • Pre-requisites: Completion of L5 modules or equivalent
  • Co-requisites: None

Summary

In this L6 core module students engage in historical activities both individual and collaborative. They provide material for and assist in the running of ‘Capstone’, an ‘in house’ History e-journal, developed by History staff and colleagues in the LRC and the ADC. The material will be both text-based and visual. Students may submit short research-based essays, book, film and exhibition reviews and reports on events and current affairs from a historical perspective. They may also submit their own photographs. Supervised by History staff with experience and expertise in publishing and editing, students work in teams to apportion reporting and editorial responsibilities among themselves. Their objective is to create over the course of two semesters at least one edition (and no more than two editions) of ‘Capstone’, with a focus on one or more historical themes. This e-journal provides students with the opportunity to display and share the results of their work with other students and with staff. It provides them with invaluable experience in working together towards a common objective with a historical focus. The module has considerable employability benefits. Not only that, it encourages student awareness of and participation in an electronically linked ‘community of scholarship’ within and also perhaps beyond the university.

Aims

  • To introduce students to new collaborative ways of expressing and disseminating historical knowledge and information; 
  • To develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the use of technology in History;
  • To develop students’ creative, collaborative, decision-making and leadership skills;
  • To develop students’ awareness and knowledge of communities of scholarship within and beyond the university.  

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

  • Show how technology facilitates fresh historical enquiry and collaboration;
  • Demonstrate proficiency in collaborative research endeavour;
  • Critically evaluate for editorial purposes their own work and that of other students;
  • Demonstrate the value of technology in making known to a variety of audiences the value of historical enquiry, knowledge and understanding. 

Curriculum content

  • Technology as a tool of History.
  • The role and importance of collaborative historical enquiry.
  • Working in teams.
  • Agreeing, setting and achieving goals
  • Leadership, delegation and problem-solving.
  • Presenting historical information to a variety of audiences.
  • Communities of scholarship.
  • An introduction to Digital History, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Teaching and learning strategy

Students work in teams. On this basis they decide, with the assistance of staff, the composition of an editorial board, which may be large or small in size. Each semester has provision for three one-hour lectures, for imparting information to all students. That aside, teaching and learning in each semester is through six workshops; of these, four are of one-hour duration and two of two-hour duration, the latter taking the form of ‘editorial conferences’, to which students contribute ideas, to inform editorial strategy. The workshops are spaced throughout the semester so as to facilitate review of progress and of work still to be done, to ensure successful completion and ‘publication’ of ‘Capstone’. At the final workshop students present details of their contribution to the journal. This presentation, together with an essay, forms the summative aspect of module assessment. Formative peer assessment and feedback together with tutor-led feedback and feed forward are an integral part of workshops.

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Definitive UNISTATS Category Indicative Description Hours
Scheduled learning and teaching 6 one-hour lectures 6
Scheduled learning and teaching 8 one-hour workshops 8
Scheduled learning and teaching 4 two-hour workshops 8
Guided independent study Student independent study 278
Total (number of credits x 10) 300

Assessment strategy

Summative assessment is through two short blog posts (each 500 words) and one longer  blog post /essay (up to 2,000 words) and a presentation. The module encourages student independent and collaborative study. There will be provision at workshops for peer learning, feedback and feed forward.

 

 

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Learning Outcome Assessment Strategy
Show how technology facilitates fresh historical enquiry and collaboration Assessed formatively during workshops and summatively by blogs/essay and presentation
Demonstrate proficiency in collaborative research endeavour Assessed formatively during workshops and summatively by blogs/essay and presentation
Critically evaluate for editorial purposes own work and that of other students Assessed formatively during workshops and summatively by blogs/essay and presentation
Demonstrate the value of technology in making known to a variety of audiences the value of historical enquiry, knowledge and understanding Assessed formatively during workshops and summatively by blogs/essay and presentation

Elements of Assessment

Description of Assessment Definitive UNISTATS Categories Percentage
CWK Blog/Essay (2000 words) 50
PRC Presentation 30
CWK Two blog posts (500 words each) 20
Total (to equal 100%) 100%

Achieving a pass

It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module

Bibliography core texts

There is no core text for the module

Bibliography recommended reading

British History Online accessed at:

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/

Cronon, W (2012). ‘The Public Practice of History in a Digital Age’ accessed at:

http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2012/1201/The-Public-Practice-of-History-in-and-for-a-Digital-Age.cfm

Dougherty, J and Nawrotzki, K (2012). Writing History in the Digital Age accessed at:

http://writinghistory.trincoll.edu/

Jordanova, L (2006). History in Practice. Hodder Arnold. 

The Journal of American History (2008). ‘The Promise of Digital History’ acccessed at:

http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/issues/952/interchange/index.html

Find a course

Course finder

Find a course
>