Modiwl HPW-4007:
Global Wales
Global Wales: Places, Passions and the Past 2024-25
HPW-4007
2024-25
School Of History, Law And Social Sciences
Module - Semester 1
20 credits
Module Organiser:
Mari Wiliam
Overview
Themes explored on the module may include, but will not be limited to: conceptual approaches to global history and transnationalism; migration; nationhood, colonialism and identity; material culture and the heritage of Global Wales. The classes will be mainly structured according to place, spanning examples from the medieval, early-modern and modern periods. Firstly, places in Wales with global connections and significance, such as Segontium Roman Fort in Caernarfon, Penrhyn Castle (slave plantations in Jamaica) and Carno, the hub of Laura Ashley's global fashion business. Secondly, places beyond the borders of Wales of significance to its past and identity, such as Normandy, Patagonia and America.
Themes explored on the module may include, but will not be limited to: conceptual approaches to global history and transnationalism; migration and gender; nationhood, colonialism and identity; material culture and the heritage of Global Wales. The classes will be mainly structured according to place, spanning examples from the medieval, early-modern and modern periods. Firstly, places in Wales with global connections and significance, such as Segontium Roman Fort in Caernarfon, Penrhyn Castle (slave plantations in Jamaica) and Carno, the hub of Laura Ashley's global fashion business. Secondly, places beyond the borders of Wales of significance to its past and identity, such as Normandy, Patagonia and America.
Assessment Strategy
-threshold -Threshold (C- to C+). Students in this band will demonstrate a satisfactory range of achievement or depth of knowledge of most parts of the module, and will make successful, if occasionally inconsistent, attempts to develop those skills appropriate to the study of History at PGT level. In the case of the written assessments, the answers will attempt to focus on the question or blog topic, although might drift into narrative, and will show some evidence of solid reading and research. The argument might lose direction and might not be adequately clear at the bottom of this category. Written work will be presented reasonably well with only limited errors in grammar, punctuation, and referencing, and not to the extent that they obscure meaning.
-good -Merit (B- to B+) students will demonstrate a solid level of achievement and depth of knowledge in all the criteria in the Pass (C- to C+) range, and will in addition exhibit constructive engagement with different types of historical writing and historiographical interpretation in the essay and the blog. Ideas will be communicated effectively and written work will include a good range of sources/reading and demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and of the existing interpretations expressed in a well-structured, relevant, and focused argument. Students at the top end of this band will engage with and critique the ideas that they come across, and synthesise the various interpretations they find to reach their own considered conclusions. Written work will be correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.
-excellent -Students achieving Distinction grades (A- and above) will show strong achievement across all the criteria combined with particularly impressive depths of knowledge and/or subtlety of analysis. In written work, they will support their arguments with a wealth of relevant detail/examples, and in the blog gan provide comparative perspectives with ease. They will also demonstrate an acute awareness of the relevant historiography and give an account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular historical debate. They may show a particularly subtle approach to possible objections, nuancing their argument in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. Overall, the standards of content, argument, and analysis expected will be consistently superior to top upper-second work. Standards of presentation will also be high.
Learning Outcomes
- Analysing individual pieces of historical evidence closely i.e. setting them in context, judging their qualities as evidence, and explaining their significance by relation to conceptual approaches in seminars and assessment.
- Demonstrate a familiarity with primary sources concerning Global Wales, and the ability to analyse these sources and use them in historical arguments in the blog and essay.
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of places related to Global Wales, and related conceptual debates on global history, from the medieval to the modern period in seminars and assessment.
- Judge between various and inter-disciplinary interpretations of Wales's transnational history by identifying the current state of the historiography, and analysing these interpretations in-depth.
- Present evidence-based arguments on global aspects of Welsh history in seminars and the assessment.
Assessment method
Blog/Journal/Review
Assessment type
Summative
Description
A 2,500 word academic blog entry on a place relating to Global Wales. The blog should build an argument about why the selected place is important to understanding the Welsh past in a global context. The selected location should be based on one of the module case studies and be fully referenced.
Weighting
50%
Due date
12/12/2024
Assessment method
Essay
Assessment type
Summative
Description
One 2,500 word essay from a selection. The essays will explore key module themes which overarch the classes and case studies on the module.
Weighting
50%
Due date
13/01/2025