| Unit name | Critical Issues in the Humanities |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HUMSM0019 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Brockington |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Humanities |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
As the core unit in TB1, and the unit which brings together students and lecturers from across different programmes in the Humanities, Critical Issues in the Humanities is key to enabling a transition to M-level study at Bristol. It allows you to build an understanding of your own discipline as a dynamic field of study, and to make conceptual and historical connections with developments in other disciplines. As such, it encourages the interdisciplinary approach to research that is a particular strength of Humanities at Bristol. You will learn from experts in the field from a range of different programmes, and you will hone your skills of analysis, debate and collaborative learning through small-group work with your peers. Understanding your discipline, its boundaries, connections, roots and direction of travel - why it is the way it is - is a key step to becoming a professional researcher yourself.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This core unit is taken by all students in the Humanities at the outset of their programme, and it introduces the key theoretical, methodological and historiographical developments that have shaped the Humanities as field of academic enquiry. It is foundational to the other, optional units which run in both Teaching Blocks, because it equips students to identify and engage critically with the theories and methodologies that underpin their area of study. These skills of critical analysis and historiographical understanding of the discipline build towards the dissertation as a methodologically sophisticated, independent research project at the end of the programme.
An overview of content
The aim of this unit is to explore the factors that drive new approaches to research in the Humanities. Why do scholars ask particular questions and not others? How does this influence their choice of research methods and sources? And how do advances in one discipline impacted on others? What, in short, is the relation between theory and practice, between methodology and research? On this unit students will be introduced to a range of approaches from areas such as political and social history, gender and queer studies, memory studies, Black Humanities, and much more besides. You will also be invited to use the approaches you have studied to analyse a wide range of materials, particularly as they relate to your own emerging research interests.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will encourage you to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches, both for your discipline as a whole, and for your own work. As well as asking big questions about the nature of research in the Humanities, this unit is designed to help you with the transition to MA study. Help and advice on essay writing, using the library, electronic resources, and so on, will be available throughout the unit. It will assist you in formulating clear and effective questions and methodologies for both your essays and your dissertation.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
Teaching will combine whole-cohort lectures (1 hour/ week), in which lecturers outline the key principles of the weekly theme and the issues arising; with smaller, subject-specific seminars (2 hours/ week) in which the implications of the theme are analysed through group discussion and activities. Learning in class is underpinned by guided independent study, involving both reading and writing. It is further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation, and informal collaboration with other students outside of class.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Presentation 10 minutes (40%) [ILOs 1-4]
Written assignment 2000 words (60%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HUMSM0019).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
