Module: HIS5120-20 Presenting the Past - Audience, Story, Media

Level: 5

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor:

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1. Brief description and aims of module:

We present the past in a variety of ways, from exhibitions in museums to the Sunday evening drama on television, from historical novels to community history websites. How are these forms of narrative created and constructed? What techniques are used in crafting a good exhibition label or convincing historical dialogue? How has the discipline of ‘heritage interpretation’ evolved over time, and how has it changed? What so inspires writers and dramatists about the past that they return to it so often, and frequently use it as a vehicle for commenting on the present? From the great narrative painters of the 19th century to contemporary artists working now – how do these interpretations of history clarify or confuse our understanding? Are they really presenting the past at all, or telling us something important about the present?

2. Outline syllabus

This module will explore a number of different ways in which the past is presented and consumed. It uses a number of key texts and examples, from academic history, literature, journalism and art; museums and exhibitions, storytelling and re-enactment. We will consider the ways in which leading heritage organisations such as the National Trust and English Heritage present their sites to, and interpret them for, their different audiences, and some of the radically different approaches adopted elsewhere. We will think about the ways in which informal groups interpret their own heritage, outside formal confines of organisations and designations? We will explore historic fiction, and some the debates and discussions which it has provoked, from praise to challenge to condescension.

The module has been designed to encourage critical engagement with words, objects and images, and the different layers of meaning they convey, and how the past is presented for, with and by its different audiences

3. Teaching and learning activities

The module will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars, field-trips, hands-on sessions and workshops. We will use drafting and responding to feedback to improve our clarity of communication. We will use lectures to provide a basis for the more detailed examination of particular approaches to presenting the past. We will also use workshop formats trying out different techniques and skills and to gain confidence when presenting our thoughts or ongoing work to the group. We will undertake both individual and group work.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Coursework

• Description: Public Engagement Project portfolio (equivalent 5000 words)

This should include final drafts of the formative exercises above plus your completed public-facing output in any media (e.g. a ‘taster’ film, exhibition plan, book proposal or event proposal) (equivalent 2500 words)

• % Weighting: 100%