1. Making History

2. Unfamiliar resources in an unfamiliar setting – requires introductions and practical guidance.
Introductions to archives as sources -
What are they? How to find them and How to use them

5. “So far I have generally enjoyed the opportunity to learn about other forms of historical sources that I either knew little about or had never considered using before. The module has certainly opened my mind as an historian and I have been encouraged to leave my comfort zone of relying on secondary written sources now that I know how useful other sources can be.”
Making History takes our current involvement in teaching and learning one step further…
Required the students to actively engage with their own projects and to undertake work in the Centre alongside regular academic external researchers.
Involved a week long set of induction sessions about the practicalities – what to expect, how to find, order and use the documents….
Involved a huge amount of work for MRC. The January sessions were am/pm over 5 days - concentrating on the practical aspects - how to find and order documents etc. Difficulty of the session being too remote from the project.
Term 1. lecture on MRC to all students
Term 2; Induction to MRC – tour of strongrooms and practical information
Term 3: The Project. 5 weeks to use the Centre, find material, scan and upload images

6. Making History has introduced a large coterie of first year undergraduates to a wealth of materials and bought them across our threshold…
Projects have revealed a wide range of interests and skills – as well as documents themselves, students have embedded interviews, videos and other media into their e-portfolios.

12. “The Making History MRC Research Project has been a great learning experience, especially in providing an insight into working with primary documents and producing individual research that has inspired my interests in gender and history and provided lessons in carrying out research.”
“More significantly, I now have a greater understanding of how ‘history’ works. By this I mean recognising that due to the sheer volume of sources, opinions, and related documents to any event, a historian must choose what to include and what to omit from the final work. “
“I ordered five different dossier files from the MRC, unsure of what to expect within them. However, I was most drawn to the files on immigrant children and education. The many different sources mentioned the language barrier, a fear of overcrowding and a discussion on the integration of immigrant children.”

13. “I am proud to have replicated
“I am proud to have replicated .. the methodology of what a historian does, and as a first year this is an opportunity not often afforded”

14. Rationale for the module, ‘Making History’
Introduction to theory and method in history
Experience of the process of historical research
Development of ‘historical judgement’

15. Structure of the Project
2500 word essay using primary sources from the MRC
1500 word ‘reflection’ on the process of research and writing the essay
Students meet with their tutors for supervisions

16. Aims of the Project
Students familiarise themselves with archival research and the process of ‘making history
Students gain confidence in using their own research to engage with secondary literature
Students learn to read the work of others and of themselves critically
Students explore alternate ways of presenting research findings

17. Reflections on the Project as a Tutor
Like the module, it is polarizing
The project suffered from poor organisation and planning
Many students relished the opportunity to do research first-hand
The project reflected the issues and difficulties of doing historical research