Module: HIS5101-20 Presenting the Past Audience, Story, Media

Level: 5

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Cassandra Newland

Module Tutor Contact Details: C.Newland@bathspa.ac.uk

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 by 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.

3.Teaching and learning activities:

The module will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars and workshops. We will use lectures to provide a basis for the more detailed examination of particular approaches to presenting the past and for trying out different techniques, in seminars and workshops. We will analyse different forms of presentation and interpretation through reviews, professional literature and visits to a small number of sites or exhibitions.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Heritage or public history case study (2500 words)

• % Weighting: 50%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Group interpretation project (equiv 2500 words)

• % Weighting: 50%