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HIS-20139 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Business, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

HIS-20139 - Applied History 2: Working with the Past
Coordinator: Rachel Adcock Tel: +44 1782 7 33144
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

HIS-20141 Professional Experience with History

Description for 2026/27

During this module you will make a personal contribution to the world beyond the University, developing and sharing your research, powers of analysis, and communication skills. After initial guidance in composing your CV and talking to employers, you will respond to either an industry brief developed with a partner organisation or a series of smaller micro-briefs. You will develop a take-away portfolio celebrating your contribution, and learn how to present your skills effectively in the real world.

Aims
This module builds on the L4 Professional Development module ('Applied History 1: What's Past is Present') by offering students greater opportunity to apply their skills in non-academic settings, to work on a series of workplace briefs as part of a team, and tailored support with showcasing their developing
profile to external employers.
The module aims to
1) Increase History students' awareness of career opportunities open to them pre- and post-graduation;
2) Build students' confidence in the transferability of History degree skills to a broad range of sectors and organisations;
3) Develop students' essential professional skills such as working to a brief, collaborative working, creative approaches to problem solving, digital
literacy, and pitching;
4) Support students in identifying and showcasing their skills, enabling them to build an appropriate and effective external profile;
5) Enable students to critically reflect on the skills and knowledge they have gained from taking part in a variety of professional activities.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Articulate the variety of ways in which skills developed during the study of History can be deployed in non-academic contexts.: 1
Demonstrate an understanding of the aims and priorities of a variety of professional organisations and clients and design and complete effective outputs that support these.: 2
Critically reflect on their experiences of completing professional activities, focusing on what they gained from these experiences.: 1,2
Identify and articulate their subject-specific and transferable skills developed during the module (and their education more
generally) and showcase these effectively.: 1

Study hours

Active Learning Hours: 27
1hr workshops: 12
1hr seminars: 12
Collaborative working sessions: 3
Independent Study Hours: 123
Session preparation: 73
Assessment preparation: 50

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 50%
Portfolio
At the end of the module, students will submit a portfolio comprising: 1) A short overall reflection on the usefulness of the module to them and what steps they intend to take in future to enrich their professional profile. This should also include reflection on attending at least one careers-related talk by an external speaker timetabled as part of this module, other School Professional Development modules, or an extra-curricular opportunity organised by Careers and Employability Support. (400 words.) 2) A CV, cover letter, or LinkedIn profile tailored in response to one of the job specifications provided, accompanied by a 200-word reflection justifying their decisions. Students will not be judged on the extent of their relevant experiences but on the way they have showcased them in response to the specification (Output equivalent to 500 words + 200-word justification.)

2: Essay weighted 50%
Reflective Essay
Students will produce a critically reflective essay exploring their experience of producing an output in response to a real-world brief, accompanied by the output as evidence (e.g. a museum strategy for attracting younger visitors, or a funding bid to support a public engagement event). This should focus on the experience of collaborating with other students, receiving and acting on feedback, as well as justifying the intellectual and creative decisions they made. (Output equivalent to 500 words + 600-word essay.)

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026