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HHC200
The Past in the Present: Exploring Heritage Practice and Debates
This module will give students an introduction to the heritage industry. It¿s suited both to those considering a career in this sector and to students who¿d like to think in more general terms about the way our society consumes the past. The module will combine critical analysis of a range of heritage sites with lectures and seminar discussion of the lively debates around the role of history and heritage in society. We¿ll explore the challenges of difficult histories ¿ such as the legacies of slavery and colonialism. We¿ll consider both tangible heritage, like physical buildings and landscapes, and intangible heritage, like language and culture. The module will be assessed by a coursework portfolio of site reviews and an extended essay.
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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-M22
Dissertation
This module is the exciting culmination of your Masters¿ degree in History. In this module you have the opportunity build on the analytical and research skills developed in Part I of the programme to produce a 20,000-word dissertation on a historical research topic of your choice.
Working under the guidance of an academic supervisor, you will identify and refine a research question, critically evaluate relevant primary and secondary sources, and construct a coherent, well-substantiated historical argument. The project reflects an advanced level of conceptual understanding and methodological rigour, characteristic of independent postgraduate research.
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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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HIH284
Disunited Kingdom? Class, Race, Gender and Social Division in Twentieth-Century Britain
This module examines the dynamics and structure of British society over the course of the 20th century. Despite radical social, political and economic changes, the idea of a British nation, a British people and a British way of life remained powerful and persistent. Yet beneath a veneer of social and and national unity were profound divisions and inequalities. This module explores how categories such as gender, class, race, region, nation and religion evolved and persisted. In doing so, the module considers what causes social change and the extent to which there was anything resembling British society at all. The module will relate these historical contexts to the present day. It asks how history can be used to understand contemporary social divisions and seeks to empower and enable students to think critically about how Britain and `Britishness¿ are constituted in contemporary society.
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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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HIH3377
A History of Sex and Gender
This module explores the history of sex and gender across a multitude of sites since the Medieval period, examining how and why understandings and ideologies changed. This module looks at the history of sex and gender from a social and cultural perspective, drawing out connections with class and race. It explores how ideas of masculinity and femininity have changed over time, how gender has impacted on social, economic and political life, and how dominant ideologies of gender relate to the experience of men¿s and women¿s daily lives. The module will also analyse changing attitudes towards sexuality and demonstrate how modern sexual identities are the product of historical processes rather than fixed and unchanging. Students will be introduced to the key historiographical debates around the history of gender and to the core challenges that drive historians while researching these vital themes.
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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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HIHM01
Approaches and Debates in Heritage and Public History
This module offers an introduction to current debates in heritage and public history and a chance to develop practical skills in the communication of history to broad audiences. It will provide an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between academic study and the past as portrayed by, with and for the public (or publics). You will explore case-studies in heritage from around the world. Why have museum presentations of history proved so controversial? What is the role of heritage in national and community-building? There will be opportunities to try out a variety of practical techniques in historical communication, and to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. You will familiarise themselves with current policy contexts for heritage and public history, and will acquire valuable skills for careers in the heritage sector and beyond.
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HIY102
Global Challenges and the Historian
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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HIY102C
Heriau Byd-eang a'r Hanesydd
Beth yw gwreiddiau hanesyddol yr argyfwng hinsawdd? Pam mae wedi bod mor anodd dileu tlodi? Pam mae clefydau epidemig yn dychwelyd byth a hefyd? A fydd deallusrwydd artiffisial yn disodli haneswyr yn y pen draw? Dyma rai o'r cwestiynau mawr sy'n cael eu harchwilio yn y modiwl hwn. Yma yn Abertawe credwn fod hanes yn darparu arfau hanfodol sy¿n ein helpu i ddeall y presennol. Mae'r modiwl hwn yn gyfle i archwilio sut y gall gwybodaeth am y gorffennol helpu i ddarparu cyd-destun a mynd i'r afael â'r heriau byd-eang cymhleth sy'n ein hwynebu ni yn yr oes sydd ohoni. Byddwch yn cael eich annog i fyfyrio ar eich rôl fel darpar hanesydd ac i ddatblygu sgiliau a fydd yn eich galluogi i gyfrannu at ddadleuon cyfoes.
Mewn cyfres o weithdai ar draws y semester, byddwch hefyd yn datblygu sgiliau ymarferol ar gyfer cyflwyno gwybodaeth a dadleuon hanesyddol i gynulleidfaoedd amrywiol. Gall gweithgareddau gynnwys ysgrifennu ar gyfer y cyhoedd, llunio briffiau polisi, braslunio penodau ar gyfer podlediadau, neu greu cynnwys ar gyfer adnoddau addysgol. Mae'r modiwl hwn yn manteisio ar arbenigedd ymchwil cyfoethog staff yn yr adran Hanes a Threftadaeth, ac mae wedi'i ysbrydoli gan Nodau Datblygu Cynaliadwy y Cenhedloedd Unedig. Mae'n archwilio themâu fel tlodi, newyn, clefydau, anghydraddoldeb rhywedd newid yn yr hinsawdd, addysg, a mwy. Mae'n rhychwantu ystod eang o gyfnodau a rhanbarthau hanesyddol, gan ofyn i chi ystyried yn greadigol pam mae hanes yn bwysig. Trwy feddwl mewn ffordd gydweithredol ar y cyd â chyd-fyfyrwyr ac ymchwilwyr arbenigol yn yr adran, byddwch yn dyfnhau eich dealltwriaeth o berthnasedd hanes yn y byd modern ac yn gwella eich gallu i ymgysylltu â chynulleidfaoedd eang. Yn ei hanfod, mae'r modiwl hwn yn eich herio i ystyried sut y gall astudio hanes lywio eich hunaniaeth fel dinesydd byd-eang.
