Who is this course for?
No previous experience in the subject is necessary and the course is open to anyone with an interest in the subject area.
What will I be studying?
The Certificate is divided into three termly units taught via Sunday day schools at the Institute of Continuing Education. Students are expected to attend all of the day schools and field trips throughout the year, the dates of which are given below.
Unit 1: Introduction to Local History
The first unit is designed to be a practical introduction to local history. We will consider some of the wide range of primary and secondary sources available to local historians and outline how these can be accessed and utilised. The unit also gives you hands-on experience of how to read and critically analyse historical documents as it includes an introduction to palaeography, the study of historical handwriting. A fieldtrip to Godmanchester is also included where we consider how settlements developed and the various features that you can identify within a community setting. For those who have not studied at undergraduate level recently or at all, it covers how to tackle essays, document analysis and how your work will be assessed.
Day schools are on Sundays at the Institute of Continuing Education on the following 4 dates: 6th October, 10th November, 24th November (half day school followed by field trip) and 8th December 2019.
Unit 2: Communities and culture in early modern England
In this unit, we consider various aspects of culture in early modern England. Firstly, since it played a very important role in communal life, we look at religion, and the changes that were made to its practice. Next, as the size of population increased rapidly during the period, we consider the ‘sorts’ of people who comprised that population and also material culture in the period. Then, because the population growth increased the proportion of poor people, we consider social relations between the poor and those who were better off, and how the latter provided for the former. Finally we look at culture within the neighbourhood, including neighbourliness, customary practices and memory, to investigate how people viewed each other and their surroundings.
Day schools are on Saturdays at the Institute of Continuing Education on the following 4 dates: 19th January, 2nd February, 16th February and 15th March 2020.
Unit 3: The death of Christian England
In 1914 religion mattered in England. Church and chapel provided the social framework for the lives of a large part of the population, and their rivalries constituted the main fault line in British politics. By 1918 all that, like so much else, had changed. How did such a major cultural shift happen in so short a time, and what difference did it make in the life of local communities?
Day schools are on Sundays at the Institute of Continuing Education on the following dates: 26th April, 10th May, 24th May (all day fieldtrip) and 7th June 2020.
What can I go on to do?
The Institute offers two 60 credit complementary one year Certificate courses in Local History which are taught and awarded at first year undergraduate level (FHEQ 4). The Certificates are currently taught in alternating years and can be studied independently of each other, and in any order.
Undergraduate Certificate in Local History: Approaches to British Local History (previously called Undergraduate Certificate in Local History II)
This Certificate course which is planned for 2020-21 will give you further insights into local history with the first term devoted to ‘Approaches to local history’. This will involve considering primary sources, such as diaries, and ways of doing local history, including landscape history,church history, and oral history. The module will also prove training in transcription. The second term is spent studying the history of poverty, disease, and medicine in the local community, 1601-1914, Topics include diseases such as plague, smallpox and venereal disease; the old and the new poor laws; charity; voluntary hospitals; and the professionalisation of medicine. The final term turns to ‘Religious identities and social change, 1700-1900’, with a focus upon Anglicanism and non conformity and themes including missions and Empire.
Students who have successfully completed the Undergraduate Certificate in Local History: Evaluating the Past through British Local History (60 credits at FHEQ level 4) and the Undergraduate Certificate in Local History: Approaches to British Local History (60 credits at FHEQ level 4) can apply to be awarded the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education in Local History (120 credits at FHEQ level 4).
Credit awarded by the Institute can also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the amount of credit which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.
Additional information
Should you need to book accommodation in order to attend the day schools this may be possible at Madingley Hall depending on availability. Please visit the Madingley Hall website or telephone +44(0) 1223 726222. When making a reservation please state that you are a student on an Institute undergraduate award bearing course and the name of the course you are booked onto.
This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by September 6th 2019 if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy).