HST681: Work Placement
15 credits (semesters 1 and 2)
2012-13 Module Leader: Dr Tom Leng and Dr Catherine Fletcher (Dr Karen Harvey and TBC 2013-14)
| Module Summary |
This module aims to give you an insight into the day to day workings of a museum, school or research institute, in order to develop history-specific vocational skills and promote reflection on the issues involved in disseminating history outside academia. The module provides a vocational component to the Department of History postgraduate portfolio, and may be of particular interest to those MA students not planning to pursue a PhD after their studies. You will choose a placement from those offered at the start of the academic year and then negotiate a role within that placement relevant to their area of study. Following a placement of approximately 100 hours with an employer a report will then be completed by you reflecting on the work you undertook. Seminars and tutorials before and after the placement will allow you to compare and contrast their experiences.
| Teaching |
You will gain knowledge and experience of working within a professional historical environment (for example, an English Heritage property, the Humanities Research Institute, Museums Sheffield, Sheffield Archives, or a local school) during their placement. After an introductory seminar and an individual tutorial with the module convenor you will identify your own learning outcomes for the chosen placement. This plan will be subject to approval by both the convenor and the partner organisation. Following completion of the placement, you will return to the seminar room to compare and discuss your experiences. Each of you will then write a report, reflecting on the aims and outcomes of your placement and considering the issues of knowledge transfer encountered in disseminating history to the wider public.
| Assessment |
You will prepare:
- A plan (1000 words) detailing the work to be done on the placement, the intended learning outcomes and briefly discussing the historical background to the problem that forms the context for the work. This component is not assessed.
- A report (3000 words) reflecting on the aims and outcomes of the placement, explaining the work done and reflecting on what the student has learned about the dissemination of historical knowledge and understanding in a public context. This is worth 100% of the final mark.
Your marks will be withheld if they fail to fulfil the hours at the placement and/or the work they have promised for the partner.
