Program Overview

Introduction to the Reading Seventeenth Century Scotland Module

The Reading Seventeenth Century Scotland module, coded as HY31016, is designed to enhance students' skills in interpreting historical evidence. This module focuses on analyzing and interpreting sources from seventeenth-century Scotland, including both printed materials and digitized images of original manuscripts.

Module Details

• Credits: 30
• Module Code: HY31016
• Level: 3
• Semester: Semester 1
• School: School of Humanities Social Sciences and Law
• Discipline: Humanities

What You Will Learn

In this module, students will:

• Learn how to read seventeenth-century handwriting in a collaborative and interactive setting
• Engage with a wide range of original sources containing evidence for historical events and everyday life
• Develop skills in source analysis and interpretation through group and individual work
• Understand the preservation and presentation of historical sources from the archivist's perspective

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

• Read original manuscripts independently
• Apply enhanced critical analysis skills to future modules
• Think critically like a professional historian
• Appreciate the care and role of archivists in history

Assignments and Assessment

• Compulsory Source Review: 2,000 words (30%) on a set source
• Second Source Review: 2,500 words (40%) on a source of the student's choice
• Palaeography Exercise: Transcription of a digitized manuscript (30%) There is no final exam for this module.

Teaching Methods and Timetable

The module adopts a hands-on approach, involving:

• Seminars: Two-hour sessions each week, primarily for discussing sources for the two source reviews
• Workshops: One-hour sessions each week, mostly devoted to palaeography, with two weeks focused on learning about archives

Availability on Courses

This module is available on the following undergraduate courses:

• History and Psychology MA (Hons)
• History MA (Hons)
• Geography and History MA (Hons)
• History with French MA (Hons)
• English and History MA (Hons)
• History and Politics MA (Hons)
• History and International Relations MA (Hons)
• History and Philosophy MA (Hons)