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Programme Specification for the 2023/4 academic year

BA (Hons) History with Employment Experience

1. Programme Details

Programme name	BA (Hons) History with Employment Experience	Programme code	UFA4HPSHPS79
Study mode(s)	Full Time Part Time	Academic year	2023/4
Campus(es)	Streatham (Exeter)	NQF Level of the Final Award	6 (Honours)

2. Description of the Programme

The BA (Hons) History with Employment Experience programme gives you the tools you need to study the history that interests you.  It develops abroad foundation of skills and knowledge in the first year, builds on this in the second year as you begin to become an independent researcher, and culminates in the opportunity to produce highly specialised work in the final year, including the study of a particular subject in depth. There is a huge amount of module choice available to you, covering time periods from the Roman Empire to the early twenty-first century, and topics as diverse as migration and mobility, indigenous peoples in Latin America, the history of health and its politics, women in society, the Vikings, magic and witchcraft in early modern Europe, and histories of material things.

This programme is studied over four years. The first two years and the final year are university-based, and the third year is spent gaining employment experience at a suitable location in the UK.

This Employment Experience variant of the programme is a great way to incorporate graduate-level work placement or placements undertaken in the United Kingdom directly into your programme of study, to reflect critically upon these experiences, and for them to count towards the assessment of your degree. There is no better way to gain valuable employment experience that can be rewarded and recognised clearly by future employers. With preparation, support, and approval from the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, you can also demonstrate adaptability and resourcefulness by organising suitable placements in areas of employment related to your interests and potential future career.

You are required to find your own placement with suitable employers and organisations with preparation, support and approval from the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. If you are taking this variant you may wish to take a work placement module at stage 2 to prepare you for your employment experience.

3. Educational Aims of the Programme

In this programme, our students and friendly, approachable staff work together, driven by curiosity and inspired by a shared passion for History. Our mission is to research and educate ourselves and others about the past and its present legacies. We aim to develop and pass on the highest standards of rigour and excellence that characterise our discipline at its best. During your time studying for a degree with us, we will make learning exciting, engaging and fun – exploring hidden treasures, secret worlds and famous historical events from new perspectives. We offer a huge range of History options, covering hundreds of years and many different cultures and continents.  We will also encourage you to broaden your horizons further by taking modules that interest you beyond History.  You will be challenged along the way to move out of your comfort zone, not just by what you study, but what you learn about yourself and your capabilities during your degree.  This, we believe, will prepare you well for life beyond graduation, including tools that will help you thrive in an increasingly complex, rapidly-changing world.

We will work with you on your personal development so that you can:

 

1. Become an open-minded and internationally-engaged individual and an informed participant in uncovering the fullest range of human histories, particularly in decolonising the study of the past.  You will have the chance to explore rich and diverse ways of seeing the past.  You will enable you to become an informed participant in decolonising the study of the past, recognising injustices in the past and present, and uncovering the full range of human histories: for example, in our first-year modules, Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History, and Understanding Modern History. By studying history across time periods and cultures, you will be able to engage sensitively and appropriately with a wide range of perspectives.  You will develop a deeper historical understanding of the causes and consequences of some of the most pressing issues facing societies today, including conflict and violence, climate change, social injustice and inequality: for example, in our second-year module, Uses of the Past, or our final-year module, The Future of the Past. This ability to understand past and present from multiple perspectives will enable you to make your own connections, forge your own opinions, and be an agent for positive change.
   
   
2. Become a mature and critical reader able to observe, understand, analyse and interpret a wide variety of historical sources, from ancient archives to digital collections.  This will not only enrich your lifelong experience, but equip you to make sense of a complex world, giving you the skills to decode past and present. You will become well-informed, capable of in-depth and critical engagement with a wide variety of historical themes, and experienced in applying these to a range of geographical areas and time periods: from Sources and Skills modules in your first year, through Options in your second year, to Special Subjects in your final year.
   
   
3. Become a confident, independent thinker and researcher adept at constructing reasoned arguments based on historical evidence.  You will become adept at constructing reasoned arguments based on historical evidence and gain a well-developed awareness of the different methodological and theoretical ways of thinking about the past and how it has shaped us.  You will be able to marshal concepts and ideas cogently, and have the chance to develop these skills through the independent second-year research project, Doing History in the Digital Age, and your final-year dissertation.  With choice over your own direction of study – including interdisciplinary studies, digital humanities, language development, supported research projects, and opportunities such as internships – you will be able to shape the content of your own intellectual and personal development.
   
   
4. Become an effective listener, communicator and collaborator able to use your knowledge, insights and creativity to work with others and independently.  You will be equipped with critical communication skills that are essential for you to be able to use your knowledge, insights and creativity to work both collectively and independently. By practising a range of assessed activities such as oral presentations and group work, you will become a highly attuned and empathetic listener, capable of engaging with a wide range of perspectives. You will develop high levels of literacy through various written assignments, and the ability to speak fluently and listen attentively and accurately through participation in a variety of activities.  By working with others across a range of assessed activities you will gain experience of collaborating with others respectfully and in a mutually-supportive environment.

4. Programme Structure

5. Programme Modules

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

Details of the modules currently offered may be obtained from the College website:

http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/undergraduates/modules/

You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.

You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme in any stage of the programme as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.

Stage 1

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75 credits of compulsory modules, 45 credits of optional modules

 

Compulsory Modules

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HIH1137	Becoming a Historian: Core	15	Yes
HIH1421	Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History	30	No
HIH1422	Understanding Modern History	30	No
HAS1905	Employment Experience HASS	0	No

Optional Modules

Single Honours students must take at least 15 credits (and up to a maximum of 45 credits) of Sources and Skills modules at Stage 1. ‘Sources and skills’ modules change yearly, depending on staff availability and other factors.

You are strongly encouraged to take at least 15 credits (and up to a maximum of 30 credits) of modules outside History in Stage 1 via modularity.

Single honours students may take as one of their options HIH1139 Becoming a Historian (extension)

 

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HIH1139	Becoming a Historian: Extended	15	No
HISS S1 new BA SH opt 2023-4
HIH1002	Losing an Empire, Finding a Role: Britain Since 1945	15	No
HIH1014	The Body in Eighteenth-Century Britain	15	No
HIH1042	Murder in Early Modern England	15	No
HIH1043	The Collapse of Communism in Central-Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union	15	No
HIH1051	Everyday Life in the Anglophone Caribbean, c.1900-1966	15	No
HIH1053	Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages	15	No
HIH1138	Medieval, Manufactured? Uses and Reuses of the Middle Ages	15	No
HIH1408	The Dissolution of the Monasteries	15	No
HIH1411	From Wigan Pier to Piccadilly: Britain between the Wars	15	No
HIH1501	The Viking Phenomenon	15	No
HIH1505	The First Crusade	15	No
HIH1506	The First Day of the Somme	15	No
HIH1585	Ladies of the Night: Prostitution in the Victorian World	15	No
HIH1586	Early Modern Venice: Representations and Myths	15	No
HIH1597	Serfdom in Late Medieval England	15	No
HIH1600	Images of Stalinism	15	No
HIH1607	JFK	15	No
HIH1612	Renaissance Florence 1350-1550	15	No
HIH1614	Environment and Industry, 1750-1950: Global Perspectives	15	No
HIH1615	Imperial Science, Race, and Exploration in the Long 19th Century	15	No
HIH1616	Producing Poverty: Peasants in a Global Perspective, 700-1300CE	15	No
HIH1618	Body, Border, Partition: Understanding Violence in South Asia	15	No
HIH1140	Confinement, Care, Cure: Psychiatric Institutions in the Twentieth Century	15	No
HIH1539	Early Modern Things: Materials as Historical Sources	15	No
HIH1534	Maritime Power in the Age of Nelson	15	No
HIH1532	The History of Strategic Thinking	15	No
HIH1412	Early Modern Magic and Witchcraft	15	No

Stage 2

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60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules

Compulsory Modules

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HIH2237	Doing History in the Digital Age	30	Yes
HIH2002	Uses of the Past	30	No
HAS2905	Employment Experience HASS	0	No

Optional Modules

You must select 30 credits of Stage 2 Option modules from term 1, and 30 credits from term 2.

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HISS S2 BA SH opt 2022-3
HIH2014A	Decolonisation and the Collapse of the British Empire, 1919-1968	30	No
HIH2032A	Europe 1650-1800: From Enlightenment to Romanticism	30	No
HIH2036A	Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965	30	No
HIH2186A	Deviants and Dissenters in Early Modern England	30	No
HIH2209A	African American History	30	No
HIH2218A	Religion, Society and Culture in Tudor England	30	No
HIH2224A	African Modernities: Popular Cultures in Twentieth Century Africa	30	No
HIH2234	Sailors, Slavery and Piracy: The Atlantic World, 1600 - 1800	30	No
HIH2590	An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century	30	No
HIH2592	Science, Empire, and Natural History Museums: A Global Perspective	30	No
HIH2587	The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century	30	No
HIH2011A	Forgetting Fascism, Remembering Communism: Memory in Modern Europe	30	No
HIH2037	American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology	30	No
HIH2137A	Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800	30	No
HIH2138A	History of Development: Ideologies, Politics, and Projects	30	No
HIH2145A	Spain from Absolutism to Democracy	30	No
HIH2179A	The American Empire	30	No
HIH2185A	China in the World, 1500-1840	30	No
HIH2208A	Medieval Paris	30	No
HIH2233	The British World c.1860-1975	30	No
HIH2591	Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223	30	No

Stage 3

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120 credit compulsory placement module

Compulsory Modules

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HUM3998	Employment Experience UK	120	Yes

Stage 4

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30 credits of compulsory Dissertation, 60 credits of Sources and Context modules, 30 credits of Option modules.

Compulsory Modules

a - You must select HIH3005 Dissertation OR HIH3006 Research Project Dissertation

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HIH3005	General Third-Year Dissertation [See note a above]	30	Yes
HIH3006	Research Project Dissertation [See note a above]	30	Yes

Optional Modules

You must select a Special Subject pair (consisting of both a Sources and Context module) for 60 credits.

You must select 30 credits from Concepts Modules,  or 30 credits of option modules from outside of History via modularity.

Code	Module	Credits	Non-condonable?
HISS SF BA Sources and Contexts 2022-3 Special Subjects
HIH3042	Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 (Sources)	30	No
HIH3043	Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 (Context)	30	No
HIH3157	The Irish Revolution, 1912-23: Sources	30	No
HIH3158	The Irish Revolution, 1912-23: Context	30	No
HIH3167	Violence or Non-Violence? Gandhi and Popular Movements in India, 1915-1950: Sources	30	No
HIH3168	Violence or Non-Violence? Gandhi and Popular Movements in India, 1915-1950: Context	30	No
HIH3170	From the Grand Tour to Gladiator: Modern Encounters with the Ancient World: Sources	30	No
HIH3171	From the Grand Tour to Gladiator: Modern Encounters with the Ancient World: Context	30	No
HIH3187	Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53: Sources	30	No
HIH3188	Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53: Context	30	No
HIH3250	Colonial Conflict and Decolonisation 1918-1975: Sources	30	No
HIH3251	Colonial Conflict and Decolonisation 1918-1975: Context	30	No
HIH3257	The Russian Revolution: Sources	30	No
HIH3258	The Russian Revolution: Context	30	No
HIH3266	Magic in the Middle Ages: Sources	30	No
HIH3267	Magic in the Middle Ages: Context	30	No
HIH3277	The Medieval Reformation: Sources	30	No
HIH3278	The Medieval Reformation: Context	30	No
HIH3298	Law, Politics and Society across the British Empire, 1750-1960: Sources	30	No
HIH3299	Law, Politics and Society across the British Empire, 1750-1960: Context	30	No
HIH3314	Governing the World: A History of Internationalism from WW1 to the Present: Context	30	No
HIH3315	Governing the World: A History of Internationalism from WW1 to the Present: Sources	30	No
HIH3316	The Holocaust and Nazi Occupation of Eastern Europe, 1939-1945: Context	30	No
HIH3317	The Holocaust and Nazi Occupation of Eastern Europe, 1939-1945: Sources	30	No
HIH3318	Health and its Politics in the 20th Century: Sources	30	No
HIH3319	Health and its Politics in the 20th Century: Context	30	No
HIH3324	Britain and Slavery: Sources	30	No
HIH3325	Britain and Slavery: Context	30	No
HIH3326	Reform, Resistance and Revolution, 1500-1750: Histories from Below: Context	30	No
HIH3327	Reform, Resistance and Revolution, 1500-1750: Histories from Below: Sources	30	No
HIH3132	The Body in Early Modern England: Sources	30	No
HIH3133	The Body in Early Modern England: Context	30	No
HIH3639	Beyond Cannibalism: Indigenous Peoples and the European Colonisation of Brazil, 1500-1822: Context	30	No
HIH3640	Beyond Cannibalism: Indigenous Peoples and the European Colonisation of Brazil, 1500-1822: Sources	30	No
HIH3635	The Population Problem: Conservation, Eugenics, and Food in the Twentieth Century (Contexts)	30	No
HIH3636	The Population Problem: Conservation, Eugenics, and Food in the Twentieth Century (Sources)	30	No
History UG Final Stage Concepts Concepts modules
HIH3330	Truth	30	No
HIH3332	Labour	30	No
HIH3333	In Sickness and in Health	30	No
HIH3334	War	30	No
HIH3336	Revolution	30	No
HIH3331	Elites	30	No

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6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:	Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
	...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):	...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:
1. Describe and discuss the philosophical problems confronting historians. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the recurring themes in History, such as class, gender, ethnicity, religion and war, and of the main themes in particular topics selected for modules; trace the key developments within a topic and relate them to an overall conception of the subject matter; evaluate complex themes in History; make close specialist evaluation of key developments within particular periods/topics 3. Identify the variety of approaches taken to historical research; ability to evaluate the professionalism and scholarly value of historical works; evaluate the reasons for changes in historiographical approaches. 4. Define a suitable research topic in the subject area and pursue it to completion. 5. Use different types of historical source; evaluate different and complex types of historical source; use primary sources in a professional manner. 6. Present work in the format expected of historians, including footnoting and bibliographical references. 7. Demonstrate how quantitative data can be used in historical research.	ILOs 1-3 are developed at stage 1 in compulsory modules though lectures, seminars, and written work. ILO 1 is further developed especially in compulsory modules at stage 2. ILOs 2-3 form the backbone of all modules taken at all stages, but the level of complexity and nuance develops according to stage. You are encouraged to use stage 1 and 2 compulsory modules as a way of addressing ILO 4, and concentrate on doing so in a Dissertation at final stage. More generally, the choice of coursework that you are given in all modules develops this skill in you from the outset of the programme. ILO 5 is a requirement of all modules, but there is particular primary source emphasis - developing in complexity as you progress through the stages of the programme - at stage 1 in Sources and Skills modules. ILO 6 is developed in all modules. You are given clear guidelines about ILO 6 in the Undergraduate Handbook, and are instructed in such matters in stage 1 compulsory modules, and are expected to demonstrate it in all modules. ILO 7 is developed through Sources and Skills and may be developed in other elective modules. Many modules have a requirement of some work with quantitative data.	The assessment of these skills is through a combination of coursework in a variety of formats, oral work both independently and as part of a group, and project and Dissertation work. The criteria of assessment pay full recognition to the importance of the various skills outlined.

Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:	Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
	...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):	...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:
8. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources 9. Describe contrasting approaches to research and judge between competing views 10. Describe and evaluate the nature of both qualitative and quantitative evidence. 11. Identify basic philosophical questions arising from academic research. 12. Think and write broadly about large historical themes. 13. Comprehend complex terminology and discourses, and deploy such terminology in a comprehensible manner. 14. Identify problems of reliability and bias in, and more generally evaluate evidence. 15. Collate data from a range of sources. 16. Reference sources accurately in written work. 17. Answer questions concisely and persuasively in writing. 18. Present work and answer questions orally. 19. Ask pertinent and intellectually demanding questions of other students. 20. Focus on and comprehend complex texts.	All these ILOs are embedded in all modules, at all stages of the programme, and are developed via seminars, lectures, workshops, and supervisions.	The assessment of these skills is through a combination of coursework in a variety of formats, oral work both independently and as part of a group, and project and Dissertation work. The criteria of assessment pay full recognition to the importance of the various skills outlined.

Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:	Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
	...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):	...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:
21. Undertake independent study and work to deadlines 22. Digest, select and organise material for written work and oral presentations, and write to varying word lengths. 23. Plan the execution of work over a very long time scale. 24. Participate in oral discussions; present and evaluate complex arguments and ideas orally; digest, select and organise material for oral presentations. 25. Work with others as part of a team on challenging material. 26. Interact effectively with peers and staff. 27. Undertake group work, including the presentation and discussion of material in groups. 28. Organise and undertake suitable employment placements and critically reflect upon the experience.	ILO 21 is an essential part of the successful completion of the programme but is particularly developed in stage 2 core modules and the Dissertation modules. ILO 22 is developed through coursework and presentation work throughout the programme. ILO 23 is developed through stage 1 and 2 core modules and, in final stage, through the Dissertation modules, which have a single end of year deadline. ILO 24 is developed through seminars, which form the whole or part basis of all modules. The skills in ILOs 25-26 are developed to some extent in all modules, through interaction in seminars and in discussion with tutors about coursework, and in response to criticism both collective and individual. However, there is particular emphasis on ILO 25 (and ILO 27) in stage 1 Sources and Skills and core modules, where you work as part of a team to present and respond to the presentations of others, and in modules in the second and final stages. ILO 28 is developed through your Employment Experience year.	The skills in ILOs 21-23 are assessed in all modules. ILO 22 is covered by the fact that you write coursework of differing lengths, which is summatively assessed. In addition, presentations are formally assessed in modules throughout the programme. ILO 23 is covered by the Dissertation modules and, to a lesser extent, stage 1 and 2 core modules. Formative assessment of work in seminars (ILO 24) takes place across the programme, with opportunities for summative oral assessment in stage 2 options, among other modules. Team work skills (ILOs 25-27) are formally assessed in stage 2 compulsory modules and in final-year optional modules.

7. Programme Regulations

Programme-specific Progression Rules

To progress to Stage 2 you must normally achieve an average mark of at least 50% in Stage 1. If you do not achieve an average mark of 50% in Stage 1, you will be interviewed to determine whether you can continue on the Employment Experience programme; if you do not succeed in that interview you will be required to transfer to the three-year programme. This is to ensure that only those students who are likely to succeed in their Employment Experience are selected. If you are unsuccessful in your application for Employment Experience, you will be transferred to the three-year programme.

HUM3998 Employment Experience UK counts as a single 120-credit module and is not condonable; you must pass this module to graduate with the degree title of BA History with Employment Experience.

Classification

Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.

8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning

History tutors set aside two ‘office’ hours a week during term-time to see personal tutees and students they teach, and are also available to see students by appointment. There is a full programme of personal tutoring that accompanies the academic curriculum, varying by stage and focusing on particular issues relevant to your progression through the degree course. The role of academic tutors is to support you on individual modules; the role of personal tutors is to provide you with advice and support for the duration of the programme and extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties, and sickness.

Each research centre in History runs its own seminar series, which you are welcome to attend. In addition, we have close relations with a range of organisations that support student research. For example, Exeter Cathedral Library is a key centre for the study of medieval history. The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, on campus, houses one of Britain’s largest public collections of books, prints, artefacts and ephemera relating to the history and prehistory of cinema. At the heart of the Centre is the Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection, comprising approximately 50,000 items.

Programme handbooks and other useful information can be accessed via the student gateway pages on the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE): http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/login/index.php,

Other useful information and student resources can also be accessed via ELE, including  specific information on library skills, essay writing and research skills, and via StudyZone: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/studyzone/

9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning

Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.

10. Admissions Criteria

Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.

11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

(Quality Review Framework.

14. Awarding Institution

University of Exeter

15. Lead College / Teaching Institution

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

16. Partner College / Institution

Partner College(s)

Not applicable to this programme

Partner Institution

Not applicable to this programme.

17. Programme Accredited / Validated by

Not applicable to this programme.

18. Final Award

BA (Hons) History with Employment Experience

19. UCAS Code

Not applicable to this programme.

20. NQF Level of Final Award

6 (Honours)

21. Credit

CATS credits	480	ECTS credits	240

22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group

Level 1

23. Dates

Origin Date	21/09/2022	Date of last revision	25/09/2023