University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 40

ECTS credits : 20

Level : SCQF level 11

Semester: Full Year

Planned timetable: TBC

This module is designed to give graduate students a thorough grounding in the history of historical writing in Scotland in a way that introduces them to the range of practical and methodological issues associated with the study of past cultures and societies. It surveys the development of forms of historical writing in Scotland from the Middle Ages to the present day. Beginning with medieval chronicles, it goes on to examine how an established narrative of nationhood was refashioned in the light of Renaissance sensibilities and the political exigencies of the Protestant Reformation. It then examines the transformations in historical consciousness and methodologies with which Scots were particularly engaged during the Enlightenment as well as the antiquarian culture that fed the romantic imagination. The development of Scottish history as an academic field of study in the twentieth century then offers a bridge to the series of specific case studies in modern Scottish historiography. Here the modern historiography of particular episodes and issues is used to illuminate recent developments in historical approaches and methods and to familiarise students with the range of literature on some of the most contested aspects of the Scottish past.

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact:

Scheduled learning hours: 0

Guided independent study hours: 0

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews:

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 0%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 0%

Personnel