The first unit lays the groundwork by exploring local history through the background and practice of local history, in order to provide you with some of the key skills and concepts used by local historians. Unit two is period-based and considers early modern communities (c.1500 - c.1750) and their cultures, using local places to illustrate the changes in a community's cultural life during this time. The third unit is theme-based and examines the impact of the First World War on churches and church-going at the local level.
The course is taught through four Sunday day-schools per unit, which allows students to travel to the venue, Madingley Hall, from a distance.
What will I be studying?
Unit 1: Introduction to local history
4 day-schools from 10.00am – 5.30pm on Sundays 14 October, 4 November, 25 November (includes fieldtrip) and 2 December 2018
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 The unit also gives you hands-on experience of how to read and critically analyse historical documents as it includes an introduction to palaeography, the study of historical handwriting.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.
Unit 2: Communities and culture in early modern England
4 day-schools from 10.00am – 5.30pm on Sundays 13 January, 27 January, 24 February and 10 March 2019
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.
Unit 3: The death of Christian England: the impact of the First World War on English churches and churchgoing
3 day-schools from 10.00am – 5.30pm on Sundays 5 May, 19 May and 9 June 2019 and a fieldtrip on 2 June 2019
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?
What can I go on to do?
If you wish, you can develop your studies in this subject by taking a second Undergraduate Certificate in Local History (the Undergraduate Certificate in Local History: Approaches to British Local History - previously called Certificate in Local History II) and then progressing to an Undergraduate Diploma in Local History, of which there are two. Please see the local and regional history subject page for more information.
Credit awarded by the Institute may also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the volume of credit and the curriculum which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.
