Themes in British
History
Understanding History and Heritage
Tudor England
World War Two: The People’s War
Humanities International Summer School
Provisional Module Handbook, 2013
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Themes in British History
Themes in British History will introduce students to the historian’s craft by taking them into the field
to look at local archives and heritage sites. This experience will, on the one hand, familiarise them
with the city of Plymouth, its heritage, history and historical resources, but, on the other, it will
prepare them for their studies in weeks two and three (and in the Themes in European History
module) by introducing them to different sources and different ways of examining sources. By the
end of the Summer School, students will have developed a sound knowledge of local history and
sources, and two key periods in British history, the Tudor Era and the Second World War.
This module (class) lasts three weeks and consists of three themes, each of which lasts for one week
and is worth a third of the mark for the module. Each theme is made up of a number of different
kinds of assessments, for example, presentations, document analysis, blog reflections, presentation
write-ups, in-class tests and a final presentation/project. These will become your portfolio. Students
will be awarded marks for each assessment, which will then be added together to create a mark for
the theme; each theme is worth a third of the module and the final mark will be arrived at by
averaging the marks for each theme.
For example, a student receiving marks of 68% for Theme One, 58% for Theme Two and 63% for
Theme Three, will receive a mark of 63% for the module (68+58+63=189/3 = 63)
Although assessments may not carry many marks individually, all must be completed in order to pass
the module.
Presentations will be partly peer-marked, in other words, those students not presenting will be
asked to grade those who are and these marks will be combined with those of the tutor to arrive at a
final mark for the piece.
Reading
Detailed reading lists will be provided before you arrive in the UK and it is extremely important that
you are adequately prepared for the Summer School.
We recommend that you purchase the following books
Susan Brigden, New Worlds, Lost Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors, 1485-1603, Penguin, 2000
John Guy, Tudor England, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990
Janet Gardiner, Wartime Britain, 1939-1945, Headline Book Publishing, London, 2004
Assessment
Theme One: History and Heritage in Plymouth (which runs for three days): three 500-word blogs
(33% each)
Theme Two: World War Two, The People’s War: Short essay – 12%; Presentations – 38%; Oral
History project 50%
Theme Three: The Tudors: Short essay/document analysis – 50%; Presentations - 50%
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Your assessments for each module will be combined to create your coursework portfolio and at the
end of the Summer School you will have completed a portfolio for each module.
Submission of coursework
Coursework can be submitted daily, but all of Week One’s coursework must be submitted by 1pm on
Monday of Week Two; Week Two’s coursework must be submitted by 1pm on Monday of Week
Three and Week Three’s coursework by 10.00am on the Friday of that week (the last day of the
Summer School). See Coursework Grid below.
Coursework Grid
This will help you keep track of your assessments.
Theme
History and Heritage
Tudors
World War Two
Coursework
Blog One
Due Date
Monday, Week Two
Blog Two
Monday, Week Two
Blog Three
Monday, Week Two
Presentation One
In-class
Presentation Two
In-class
Presentation Three
In-class
Presentation Four
In-class
Document Analysis
One
Document Analysis
Two
Document Analysis
Three
Document Analysis
Four
Presentation One
Monday, Week Three
Presentation Two
In-class
Presentation Three
In-class
Questionnaire
In-class
Mini-essay
Friday, Week Three
Interview Essay
Friday, Week Three
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Monday, Week Three
Monday, Week Three
Monday, Week Three
In-class
Theme One: Understanding History and Heritage
The afternoons of the first week of the Summer School will be spent understanding various forms of
History and Heritage. This will involve visiting and working in archives and visiting a local heritage
site as ways of considering the ways in which ‘history’ and ‘heritage’ are constructed. The experience
of visiting these sites will provide excellent grounding as you engage with primary sources, and
grapple with the problems of interpreting historical events, over the course of the next three weeks.
You will have the opportunity to work with original documents, look at the practice of archivists, the
construction and maintenance of collections, including visual materials, and visit a working heritage
site.
On Day One, we will visit the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office (PWDRO); on Day Two, the
Ford Park Cemetery Trust and on Day Three, the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA)
Day One: Plymouth and West Devon Record Office (PWDRO)
From the PWDRO website (http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/archives):
About Plymouth & West Devon Record Office
Plymouth City Council's Plymouth & West Devon Record Office is the principal
archive repository within Plymouth and the West Devon area. It exists to collect and
preserve the historical records (archives) of the area and to promote and encourage
their use by all who want to study them.
The record office holds records of the old borough and modern city of Plymouth, as
well as the West Devon area. The record office holds original records of many
organisations and individuals and is always interested to hear of any potential gifts or
deposits of archival material. Please contact the office if you are aware of any such
items or if you want to discuss the preservation of your records.
Dating from circa 1190, the record office has over half a million individual items
including deeds, charters, minute books, letters, registers, manorial documents,
reports, diaries, financial records, maps, plans and photographs.
Find out more about the record office, including opening hours and a link to the
online catalogue.
Structure
PWDRO guided tour and research
1.30: Arrive and tour of strong-room and collections.
2.00: Introduction to the search-rooms, undertake own research
3.00: Strong-room task and shadowing staff
Day Two: For Park Cemetery Trust
From the Ford Park website: http://www.ford-park-cemetery.org/
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Ford Park Cemetery Trust
Ford Park Cemetery contains not just a chapter but a whole volume on life in
Victorian Plymouth. There are memorials to notable figures, but there are also graves
of ordinary people who led extraordinary lives. We have collected detail on 600
individuals to date and welcome additional information from the public. Please mark
any material for the attention of Rod Pickles.
Some headstone detail tells a great deal, like how many children in one family died
young, regardless of class or location. Other memorials give profession, where death
occurred or clues through symbolism (see separate section). Imported marble from
Italy denoted wealth and status of a family, large and ornate images emphasised this.
Delabole slate was for the less well off.
The Trust believes passionately in the cemetery as a heritage asset for the people of
Plymouth, visitors and children. During the summer, guided walks are offered on a
variety of subjects on the first Sunday afternoon of each month (see program of
events for details). Private group walks can be arranged through the cemetery's
Friends organisation via the office. This also applies to talks to groups outside the
cemetery in the Plymouth area. Twice a year the Visitor Centre has an exhibition (see
program for details)
Children come to learn about Victorian symbolism, life in Victorian times, about the
Second World War and wildlife subjects. Why not come along and see how the
cemetery could help with the curriculum.
It is a tranquil location full of possibilities and inspiration where you can step back in
time.
Structure
Students will spend the afternoon working with tutors and staff at the trust, learning about the site
and how the heritage industry works and gaining an insight into life and death in Victorian Plymouth.
Day Three: South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA)
From the SWFTA website: http://www.swfta.org.uk/c69c522d7937/main/
The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for
the South West of England. It covers an area from the Isles of Scilly in the west to
Bournemouth in the east and as far north as Gloucestershire, and includes all the
county and unitary authorities in the South West. SWFTA is a charity whose role is
to conserve, preserve and provide access to the moving image heritage of this
region.
Established in 1993, it is one of the largest regional film archives in the UK and
holds the Westward Television and TSW (Television South West) independent
television collections as well as a significant number of donated film collections,
both amateur and professional.
SWFTA is an independent registered charity and a non-profit making company
limited by guarantee. It is governed by a board of directors who are also trustees of
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the charity. It is registered with the Charity Commission (charity number 1128985)
and at Companies House as South West Film and Television Holdings Ltd (company
number 6846469).
Structure of the day
Students will be spending this afternoon working with tutors and staff examining the use and
collection of visual material.
Assessment
Students will write an individual 500-word blog about each of these visits, outlining the processes of
each and analysing the tasks they carried out as part of their visits.
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Theme Two: The Tudors
The Tudor dynasty ruled England from 1485 until 1603, starting with the reign of Henry VII and
ending with the death of Elizabeth I. In this theme we will examine how the Tudors came to power
and then consolidated their position, examining the ways in which the various Tudor monarchs
(Henry VII, Henry VII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I) modernised the country and dealt with
internal and external pressures. We will analyse the key moments of the period, including the War of
the Roses, the English Reformation (when England broke with Rome and abandoned Catholicism),
the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, Henry’s tumultuous quest for an heir, the brief
rule of the Catholic Mary I and the Elizabethan age, which coincided with the emergence of William
Shakespeare. We will consider the impact of the Tudors on Plymouth stressing, of course, the defeat
of the Spanish Armada off the coast of the city in 1588. We will also look at life for ordinary people
during the period.
We have excellent holdings in the library on the Tudor era, but students should purchase at least
one of the following texts: Susan Brigden, New Worlds, Lost Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors, 14851603 (Penguin, 2000), this is a good overview of the period, and John Guy, Tudor England (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1990), which is the fullest textbook account of the events of the period.
Consider the following general questions:
How successful was Henry VII in securing the Tudor monarchy?
Why were there no wars of religion in England during the sixteenth century?
What motivated the Reformation between 1529 and 1553?
Was England still more Catholic than Protestant in 1547?
Was religious change imposed from above rather than rooted in popular feeling?
Consider the myths and realities of Elizabeth’s reign
Structure and Format
Each day will consist of a lecture, an in-class discussion of primary documents and a group
presentation. Assessments will consist of the group presentation and a document analysis.
Your week will look like this:
Day One
Structure and Format
Lecture 1.00-2.00
The Wars of the Roses and the Reign of Henry VII
Assessment
Presentation (50%)
Primary Source Workshop 2.00-3.00
Document analysis (50%)
Presentations 3.00-4.00
Day Two
Lecture 1.00-2.00
The Reign of Henry VIII
Primary Source Workshop 2.00-3.00
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Presentation (50%)
Document analysis (50%)
Presentations 3.00-4.00
Day Three
Lecture 1.00-2.00
Edward VI and Mary I
Primary Source Workshop 2.00-3.00
Presentation (50%)
Document analysis (50%)
Presentations 3.00-4.00
Day Four
Lecture 1.00-2.00
Elizabeth I and Elizabethan England
Primary Source Workshop 2.00-3.00
Presentation (50%)
Document analysis OR Miniessay (50%)
Presentations 3.00-4.00
Document Workshops
Note: the list of documents for each session is indicative, however, the tutor may assign particular
documents or ask individual students to look at specific sources
Student Presentations
Students will be divided into groups and each group will offer a fifteen minute presentation on one
of the assigned documents
Assessment One: The presentation is part of the assessment and students will be graded according
to their analysis, research and presentation skills. Each member of the group will receive the same
grade. (50%)
Assessment Two: Write a 500 word analysis of one of the documents discussed in class. Using
secondary reading, you will examine the document in its historical context and offer an assessment
of importance, noting its influence, the motivation of the writer and the nature of the source (50%)
Day One
Lecture 1.00-2.00
The Wars of the Roses and the Reign of Henry VII
Document Workshop 2.00-3.00
A DESCRIPTION OF HENRY VII, From Polydore Vergil, The Anglia Historia, 1485-1537
Francis Bacon on Henry VII and Empson and Dudley, from his History of Henry VII
An Act against Unlawful Retainers and Liveries, 1503/4
The Reign of Henry VIII and the early Tudor Court
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The Venetian Ambassador’s Report describing Henry VIII
The Fall of Cardinal Wolsey, Edward Hall’s Chronicle
Presentation 3.00-4.00
Day Two
Lecture 1.00-2.00
The Reign of Henry VIII: The early Tudor Court; Reformation: Repression and Reaction
Document Workshop
The Venetian Ambassador’s Report describing Henry VIII
The Fall of Cardinal Wolsey, Edward Hall’s Chronicle
Thomas Wyatt, Whoso List to Hunt, I Know where is an Hind
Act in Restraint of Appeals, 1533
The Act of Supremacy (1534)
Royal Injunctions, 1536
The Suppression of Glastonbury Abbey, 1539 (both letters)
Presentation 3.00-4.00
Day Three 1.00-2.00
Lecture
Edward VI and Mary I
Document Workshop
Edward VI
Decision of the meeting of the co-executors of Henry VIII’s will, 31 Jan. 1547.
Act of Uniformity, 1549
Order for Bringing in Popish Rituals, 1549
Demands of the Rebels of Devon and Cornwall, 1549
Mary I
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John Knox, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (1558)
Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary To Philip of Spain, 1554
Robert Parkyn’s Narrative of the Reformation, c. 1555.
Act of Repeal, 1553
The burnings of Bishops Ridley and Latimer at Oxford, 16 0ctober, 1555 as recorded by John Foxe’s,
Acts and Monuments, 1563
Presentation 3.00-4.00
Day Four
Lecture 1.00-2.00
Elizabeth I and Elizabethan England
Document Workshop
Act of Uniformity, 1559
Act of Supremacy, 1559
Nehemiah Wallington, Diary
The Papal Bull Regnans in Excelsis,
Elizabethan Government and Politics
Leicester’s Commonwealth on puppet monarchy.
William Camden on faction: Elizabeth and Mary 1584
Sir Robert Naunton on Elizabeth and Faction
The 'Scandal Letter': Mary, Queen of Scots, to Elizabeth [1584]
Presentation 3.00-4.00
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Theme Three: World War Two, The People’s War
In this Theme we will examine the experience of the British on the home-front during the Second
World War. The aim is to look at some of the mythology that has grown up surrounding the war. For
example, we will consider the notion of the ‘Blitz Spirit’, the idea that the morale of ordinary Britons
remained high even during heavy German bombing of British cities. Students will hear first-hand
accounts of life during the war when they interview survivors as part of the ‘All Our Stories’ oral
history project. We will analyse the role of women as they had to take on traditionally male roles in
the workplace as their fathers, husbands and sons were called up to fight. We will assess both the
positive and negative aspect of this upon British life. Finally, we will examine the ‘Friendly Invasion’
of American GIs. American entry into the war after Pearl Harbor in 1941 was welcome, the arrival of
a million or more young American men in the UK was less so, and we will consider the impact of this
‘invasion’ upon both the British and the Americans.
We have good holdings in the library on World War Two, and excellent e-resources, but students
should consider purchasing Janet Gardiner, Wartime Britain, 1939-1945, Headline Book Publishing,
London, 2004, which offers a comprehensive account of the period. We will make extensive use of
online primary source material including the BBC’s People’s War website
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/ and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/blitz_01.shtml
Consider the following general questions:
Was there a ‘Blitz Spirit’?
What impact did the Blitz have on British life?
How effectively was propaganda used to maintain morale?
How did the British and Americans respond to each other?
Did the British adopt American racial segregation?
Structure and Format
Your week will look like this:
Day One
Structure and Format
Lecture 1.00-2.00
The Myth of the Blitz
Document Workshop 2.00-3.00
Assessment
Presentation (50%)
Mini-essay (50%)
Presentations 3.00-4.00
Day Two
Oral History project
Questionnaire (50%)
Presentation (50%)
Day Three
Presentations 1.00-2.00
Interview essay (100%)
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Roundtable Discussion 2.00-3.00
Day Four
Lecture 3.00-4.00 British Women and WWII;
‘Overpaid, Oversexed and Over here!’
Document Workshop 1.00-2.00
Presentation (100%)
Document Source Workshop 2.00-3.00
Presentations 3.00-4.00
Day One: The Blitz
Lecture 1.00-2.00
The Myth of the Blitz
London Can Take It (1940) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLgfSDtHFt8&feature=related
Document Workshop 2.00-3.00
We will be drawing upon documents from Mass Observation surveys and the BBC’s ‘People’s War’
website.
Consider this image of St Paul’s cathedral in London. Why was it used for propaganda purposes by
both the British and the Germans?
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Student Presentations 3.00-4.00
Students will be divided into groups and each group will offer a fifteen minute presentation.
Students will examine the idea of the ‘Blitz Spirit’ and assess the extent to which it was simply
propaganda (50%)
Assessment
Write a 500 word mini-essay analysing the experience of one of the following British cities during
the Blitz: London, Plymouth, Coventry or Belfast (50%)
Days Two and Three: Oral History Project
Day Two
On Day Two, students will be carrying out interviews as part of ‘All Our Stories’ oral history project.
Students will work in pairs. You must consult the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ at the end of the booklet for
guidance in the conducting of interviews, but we will be discussing the ethics of interviewing and
good practice. These interviews must be recorded (preferably digitally) and submitted as part of the
assessment. Each interviewer is advised to make their own recording. The interview should last
about 45 minutes.
Day Three
Presentation 1.00-2.00
Students will present their findings to the rest of the group
Roundtable Discussion 2.00-3.00
The group will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of oral history and analyse the ways in
which their interviewees’ recollections of their wartime experience compares with contemporary
accounts of the war
Assessment
Design a questionnaire for your interview, demonstrating an understanding of the ethics and
principles behind oral history and applying the good practices discussed in Theme One (50%)
Students will present their findings to the rest of the group on Day Three (50%)
These two exercises constitute Day Two’s assessment
For Day Three’s assessment, write a 750 word reflection on your interview and include a recorded
copy of the interview (100%)
Lecture 3.00-4.00
British Women and World War Two; ‘Overpaid, Oversexed and Over here!’
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This afternoon’s lecture will be in two parts. The first part will analyse how the war affected women
and the second will deal with the arrival of American troops in the UK. This will provide a platform
for tomorrow’s sessions
Day Four
Document Workshop 1.00-2.00 British Women and the War
How did the role of women change during the war?
Was the war positive for British women?
Document Workshop 2.00-3.00 ‘Overpaid, Oversexed and Over here!’
How did the British react to the American ‘occupation’?
What was the experience of African American troops in the UK?
Student Presentations 3.00-4.00
Assessment
Presentation (100%)
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Appendix
Oral History Interview do’s and don’ts
(Adapted from the Oral History Association of Australia Journal)
Don’t:
Interrupt a story
Impose your own way of thinking or your own order of topics
Dominate the interview
Ask complicated questions
Ask leading questions
Ask questions which have already been answered
Ask questions by telling all you know first
Put forward your opinions or make moral judgments
Be afraid of silences and pauses
Belittle or laugh at your interviewee
Exhaust your interviewee
Ask confrontational questions
Use jargon or unnecessarily complicated terms
Do:
Be a good and interested listener
Stick to a fruitful area and follow it through while the memories are flowing
Be aware of your own biases and prejudices
Be patient
Use appropriate language
Ask for descriptions and examples
Use sensitive “open-ended” and “follow-up” questions as often as possible
Be alert to touchy subject and don’t just blunder in
Follow up emotions, e.g., ‘How did you feel about it?’, ‘How did you react?’
Laugh and smile with your interviewee
Probe generalisations, e.g., ‘What was so good/bad about school?’, ‘Could you describe some
specific incidents?’
Allow your interviewee to complete a story
Encourage interviewees to reconstruct conversations, e.g., ‘And what did your boss say then?’
Encourage interviewee to reconstruct physical environments
Invite evaluations, e.g., ‘Why do you think that happened?’
Respect silences, if these are pauses while your interviewee collects and/or selects memories.
Provide positive reinforcement to assure your interviewees that the memories they are offering are
important
Do use a mixture of:
Open-ended questions
Closed or direct questions
Follow-up questions
Evaluative questions
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Possible oral history questions: adapted and selected from Paul Thompson,
The Voice of the Past: Oral History
Childhood and early family life
Where and when were you born?
How many years did you live in the house where you were born? Where did you live next? What
jobs did your father and mother do at that time?
Did you have any tasks that you regularly did to help around the house?
How did your parents expect you to behave towards them?
Do you remember family holidays or going away?
How did you spend Saturdays and Sundays in your childhood?
How much, if anything, did religion mean to you as a child?
What views do you remember your parents holding about the world around them? Why do you
think they held these views?
When your parents were not working how did they spend their time?
What interests did you have as a child? Who would you play with as a child?
Did your parents ever give you any pocket money? If so, what did you spend it on?
Did you have any awareness growing up of belonging to a particular social class or group? If so,
what made you aware of what classes or groups other people belonged to? Do you think that some
people in your area felt themselves superior to others? Why?
Education/University
What school/s did you go?
What did you think of school? What did you feel about the teachers?
If you did something the teachers disapproved of, what would happen?
Did the teachers emphasise certain things (e.g., values or behaviours) as important in life?
When you were at school did you ever have a part-time job? How did you get that job? Did you
think you were fairly paid/treated in it?
Where and why did you go to university (if applicable)?
What are some of your memories of life at university?
Work/Early Adult Life
How did you get your first job after leaving school/university? What sort of work was it?
Did you think you were fairly paid/treated? How did you feel about your employer?
Did you get on well with your work colleagues?
Did you belong to any union or professional organisations?
Did you continue to live at home when you started work? When did you move out?
Did your interests in your free time change when you started working?
What age were you when (if) you married? How long had you known your spouse before this time?
When and how did you meet them?
Did you continue working/change jobs at all after marriage?
How did you and your spouse manage the household budget/housekeeping? How did you decide
how money should be spent?
Did you have children? Who looked after the children while you were working?
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