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HI-M01
Historical Methods and Approaches
This module introduces you to a diverse range of methodological approaches that underpin the discipline of history at an advanced level. You will explore how historians construct knowledge about the past, examining key debates around evidence, interpretation, narrative, and the politics of history-writing. You will engage critically with a variety of methods, including archival research, oral history, microhistory, cultural and social history, postcolonial and decolonial approaches, gender analysis, and digital history.
Through seminar discussions and a series of mini projects, you will develop a sophisticated understanding of the strengths, limitations, and ethical implications of different historical methodologies. The module also supports the development of research design skills in preparation for independent dissertation work.
Finally, the module will encourage you to think reflexively about your own role as researchers and to consider how methodological choices shape historical narratives and their relevance to contemporary global challenges.
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HI-M38
Past and Present: Themes in History
This module offers you an in-depth engagement with key debates, theories, and methodological approaches that have shaped the discipline of history from the Enlightenment to the present. It is designed to provide you with a critical understanding of historiography as both a body of scholarly literature and a dynamic, reflexive practice central to historical inquiry. Through a close reading of foundational texts, schools of thought, and recent historiographical interventions, students will interrogate how historians construct arguments, use evidence, and navigate epistemological challenges.
You will engage with topics such as empiricism, Marxism, the Annales School, postmodernism, gender and postcolonial critiques, microhistory, memory studies, and global history. Emphasis will also be placed on the ethical and political dimensions of historical representation and the role of the historian in public discourse.
By the end of the module, you will be expected to demonstrate an advanced conceptual grasp of historical theory, critically assess differing historiographical traditions, and apply these insights to their own research practices. The module fosters independence of thought, originality in interpretation, and methodological self-awareness.
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HI-M39
Managing Historical Research
During this module you will be guided through the process of formulating a viable, original, and academically sound research proposal in the discipline of History. You develop your own research project idea with the guidance and support of your supervisor. Through a combination of seminars, independent research, and supervisory meetings, you will engage with historiography, methodology, source evaluation, and research ethics. By the end of the module, you will have produced a fully developed research proposal suitable for submission to support an MA dissertation.
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HIH237
The Practice of History
The purpose of the module is to encourage you to think more deeply about how historians work and, in particular, about how we as historians can locate and use primary historical sources effectively as a means of interpreting and understanding the past. During the module we will learn about the survival of historical evidence, how it is organised and made accessible to historians to undertake their research, and how to effectively locate and interpret it in your studies. We will consider how the process of doing historical research changes over time, in particular with the impact of recent developments like digitization.
At the core of the module will be the work you undertake with others in your seminar group using a range of primary sources which your seminar tutor will introduce to you. As part of the module assessment you will also undertake your own primary source based research project using items from these collections. The module is designed strengthen your analytical skills and to help prepare you for the more extensive uses of primary evidence which you will encounter in final year special subjects and dissertation.
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HIH3300
History Dissertation
The History dissertation is a free-standing, 40-credit module that runs across both semesters of Level Three. Candidates conduct research upon a subject of their choice, devised in consultation with a member of staff teaching for the degrees in History, and concerning a topic that falls within staff research and teaching interests.
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HIH3364
The Great Depression and New Deal America, 1929-1941
This module will explore one of the most exciting and in many respects exceptional periods in US history: to combat the devastating economic and social impact of the Great Depression that had started at the l ate 1920s, the new administration led by President Franklin D Roosevelt carried out an ambitious program of bold and rapid legislative reform and social engineering in the years 1933 to 1938. In spite of a political and legal backlash in 1937-39, and significant shortcomings, these reforms created an influential source of inspiration for future federal governments¿ responses to social and economic policy issues such as social security, health care, and industrial relations. Quantifying the New Deal¿s contribution to ending the Great Depression remains a disputed subject among historians, not least because the war-related employment boom the US economy experienced after 1941 makes it harder to separate out any long-term effects of specific New Deal policies. There is, however, consensus about the profound political impact of the New Deal¿s use of federal government-led intervention, often at the expense of individual states¿ powers, and the contribution it made to social change. As will be shown, some of these social shifts were unintentional, e.g. in race relations: unlike his wife Eleanor, F D Roosevelt was not a champion of legally enforced racial equality. The module will study in depth the different components of the New Deal and its ideological foundations, as well as the motives and aims of its chief supporters and opponents. We will use a representative selection from the vast array of primary sources that are readily available for this topic to investigate how the New Deal affected the lives of the rural and urban population in different parts of the US, why it continues to be controversial, and in what sense it can be said to have changed American politics and culture permanently.
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HIH396
From Machiavelli to Mussolini: Government and Society in Western Political Thought
This module offers a guide to the history of ideas on government and society which continue to influence political thought and action in the 21st century. The lectures will start by looking at the origins of democratic thinking in Athens, 5th Century BC, and will then give a brief account of medieval political thought and the impact of Christian-Muslim encounters. The main part of the course will deal with modern ideas on government as developed by Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, the political authors of the Enlightenment and American Revolution, and Marx and Lenin. The final part will focus on the Italian and German national socialists' assault on the liberal state and Western democratic tradition. Students will have the opportunity to read and discuss a representative selection from the 'classics' of Western political thought and reflect on their contemporary political relevance. As will be shown, some of today's best-known early modern texts on the nature of state power were misinterpreted by contemporaries and brought into disrepute by fascist ideologues who claimed them in defence of dictatorship.
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HIY101
From Facts to Fake News: Being a Historian in the Twenty-First Century
What are the historical roots of the climate crisis? Why has poverty proven so difficult to eliminate? Why do epidemic diseases continue to resurface? Will AI eventually replace historians? These are just some of the pressing questions explored in this module. Here at Swansea we believe that history provides essential tools for understanding the present. This module invites you to examine how insights from the past can help contextualize and address the complex global challenges we face today. You will be encouraged to reflect on your role as an emerging historian and to develop skills that will enable you contribute to contemporary debates.
Through a series of workshops across the semester, you will also develop practical skills in communicating historical knowledge and arguments to diverse audiences. Activities may include writing for the public, drawing up policy briefings, drafting podcast episodes, or create content for, and design, educational resources. Drawing on the rich research expertise of staff across the History and Heritage department, and inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this module explores themes such as poverty, famine, disease, gender inequality, climate change, and education, and more. It spans a vast range of historical periods and regions, asking you to think creatively about why history matters. By thinking collaboratively with fellow students and with expert researchers in the department, you will deepen your understanding of history¿s relevance in the modern world and enhance your ability to engage broad audiences. At its core, this module challenges you to consider how your study of history can shape your identity as a global citizen.
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HIY101C
O Ffeithiau i Newyddion Ffug: Bod yn Hanesydd yn yr Unfed Ganrif ar Hugain
Beth mae'n ei olygu i fod yn hanesydd yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain? O ddymchwel cerfluniau, i ofnau am gynnydd ffasgiaeth, trin a thrafod etifeddiaeth gwladychiaeth, arsylwi pen-blwyddi gwrthdaro yn y gorffennol, neu gymariaethau hanesyddol a ddefnyddir i gefnogi neu wrthwynebu rhai safbwyntiau gwleidyddol, mae disgwrs gyhoeddus yn llawn trafodaethau o'r gorffennol. Rydym hefyd yn byw mewn oes o 'newyddion ffug', lle mae honiadau i'r hyn sy'n wir neu nad yw'n wir yn cael eu dadlau yn gyhoeddus, a ffeithiau eu hunain yn cael eu herio. Boed yn y gorffennol neu'r presennol, mae haneswyr bob amser wedi bod yn ymwneud â dadansoddi gwahanol fathau o dystiolaeth i benderfynu ar y gwir sut a pham y digwyddodd digwyddiadau'r gorffennol fel y gwnaethant. Bydd y modiwl hwn yn rhoi i chi¿r sgiliau ymchwil hanfodol a meddwl yn feirniadol sy'n hanfodol i ddeall y byd modern lle mae¿r gwir yn fwy dadleuol nag erioed o¿r blaen, boed yn y cyfryngau poblogaidd, disgwrs wleidyddol, cyfryngau cymdeithasol, neu ddeallusrwydd artiffisial.
Yn y modiwl hwn byddwch yn dysgu am sut mae haneswyr yn mynd i'r afael ag astudio'r gorffennol mewn gwahanol ffyrdd, gan ganolbwyntio'n benodol ar sut maent wedi ymdrin â heriau a dadleuon allweddol yn y gorffennol. Byddwch yn ystyried sut mae astudio hanes wedi datblygu yn y gorffennol ac yn parhau i ddatblygu yn y presennol, yn ogystal â'r nifer o ffyrdd y mae haneswyr yn cyfleu eu gwaith i gynulleidfaoedd ehangach. Byddwch hefyd yn dechrau datblygu'r sgiliau ymchwil, ysgrifennu a chyfathrebu allweddol sy'n hanfodol i astudio hanes yn y brifysgol. Byddwch yn adeiladu ar lawer o'r sgiliau a'r syniadau hyn yn y modiwl Heriau Byd-eang a gynhelir yn ail semester eich blwyddyn gyntaf. Bydd y modiwl hwn yn eich paratoi ar gyfer eich taith hanes ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe ond bydd hefyd yn eich helpu i feddwl yn feirniadol am y byd ehangach.
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HIY105
The Early Modern World, 1500-1800
Across the three centuries of the early modern period, from 1500 to 1800, the globe became increasingly connected as a consequence of what is often referred to as the European overseas expansion. Travellers, traders, missionaries, and colonists found their way from Europe to Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australasia, with profound and often tragic consequences for the native peoples, cultures, and ecosystems with which they came into contact. The lives of non-Europeans and Europeans became more closely intertwined than ever before; a truly global economic system began to emerge; empires rose and fell. In this module, you will explore the processes by which the world was transformed over the course of three centuries, and reflect on the long-term significance of the outcomes, many of which have shaped the world as we experience it today.
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HIY105C
Y Byd Modern Cynnar, 1500-1800
Ar draws tair canrif y cyfnod modern cynnar, o 1500 i 1800, daeth y byd yn fwyfwy cysylltiedig o ganlyniad i'r hyn y cyfeirir ato'n aml fel yr ehangiad tramor Ewropeaidd. Gwnaeth teithwyr, masnachwyr, cenhadwyr a gwladychwyr ddod o hyd i'w ffordd o Ewrop i Affrica, Asia, cyfandiroedd America, ac Awstralasia, gyda chanlyniadau dwys, a oedd yn aml yn drist iawn, i'r bobl, y diwylliannau a'r ecosystemau brodorol y daethant i gysylltiad â nhw. Daeth bywydau pobl nad oeddent yn Ewropeaidd a'r bobl Ewropeaidd yn fwy cydblethedig nag erioed; dechreuodd system economaidd fyd-eang go iawn ddod i'r amlwg; gwelwyd cynnydd a chwymp ymerodraethau. Yn y modiwl hwn, byddwch chi'n archwilio'r prosesau a drawsnewidiodd y byd dros gyfnod o dair canrif, yn ogystal â myfyrio ar arwyddocâd hirdymor y canlyniadau, y mae llawer ohonynt wedi llunio'r byd rydyn ni'n byw ynddo heddiw.
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WS-M95
Experiences of War and Conflict: War, Identity and Society
Throughout history, wars and conflicts have shaped personal and collective experiences and identities. Hot wars have laid waste to cities and entire national economies. Those fighting wars have suffered traumatic experiences, as did non-combatants, including children. Even where no armed conflict took place, preparedness for a potential war led to the militarization of civil societies, including the use of massive economic resources. Or, military planners and strategists gamed likely war scenarios to prepare for the worst case ¿ even the unthinkable that is nuclear war. Likewise, propaganda ¿ both by states and anti-war or peace movements ¿ emerged in response to conflicts (actual and imaginary), contributing to war and conflict becoming part of official government discourse and everyday language. But the legacies of wars have also entered national identity through their memorialization within specific historical and ideological contexts. Popular culture, too, addressed wars and conflicts through films and popular music, thereby disseminating particular interpretations and myths to mass audiences.
This module takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the multifaceted experiences of war and conflict. We will examine how such experiences of violence shape and are in turn shaped by social, economic and cultural forces. In this, we will explore war and conflict as both a catalyst for societal change and a reflection of historical developments. Through critical analysis, the module encourages reflection on how war is represented and the lasting impact it has on personal and collective identities.
