Welcome to the Department of HistoryAlan Booth and Kristofer Allerfeldt March 2014

Overview of today’s welcome talk

• The University of Exeter• History on Exeter’s Penryn Campus• Meet [some of] our historians• What do our degree programmes look like?• Study Abroad• Student perspectives• Your prospects

History at Exeter

• Exeter ranked 10th in The Complete University Guide

(2014) • College of Humanities ranked 65th in World Rankings

(Times Higher Education)• Ranked 6th for History by The Times and Sunday Times

league table• Ranked 8th for History in The Complete University Guide• In the top 20 for research in History in the UK, with 60% of

research classed as world leading or of international

standard

Our Students Opinions:

Cornwall Campus has been in the top 3 NSS scores

for History every year since our first cohort

In NSS 2013 97% of final year students satisfied or

very satisfied by their programmes

Amongst Russell Group universities, 3rd most

‘intellectually stimulating’ History programme in the

UK

.

Our aimTo produce high quality graduates…

...who have enjoyed the Cornwall-Exeter

experience

...who have been stimulated and challenged

throughout their studies

...who are equipped for life after university,

whether in further study or employment

What do we offer?

History of landscape and environmental politics,

history of science and technology

Community, museology, and oral history

Crime and violence in US history

Beyond Europe – Japan, Middle East, US, Canada

Twentieth century conflict, esp. First World War

British political history since 1850

‘Critical Futures’

Everyday life in Stalin’s Russia

Our Distinctiveness

Informality, approachability and regular contact

An Oxbridge-style tutorial education

Innovative teaching, assessments and programmes

A public history element in which our students work

with outside organisations thus developing

employability skills

A collective of leading historians who use history to

reflect on past, present, and future issues

The Syllabus (SH History)

Year 1: Basic (History Foundation); Intro to Public

History; Broadening (World History & People’s

History)

Year 2: Project work; 3 Option module

Year 3: Dissertation; 3 Research-based modules

New modules under development

every year

Modularity each year

What’s special about History at Exeter?• Structure – Not just stand-alone ‘modules’, degree has coherence

from years 1 to 3

• Breadth & depth – Survey courses, detailed subjects, projects

• Choice – 50 staff across two campuses, specializing in Political,

Religious, Economic, Social, Cultural, Military, Naval, Medical &

Scientific histories

How We TeachLectures, seminars, projects and work placements

Collaborative projects with external stakeholders

Assessment varied and innovative – based on exams,

essays, wikis, presentations, workshops, reports and

more…

Transferable skills embedded in every module

Dedicated work placements officer

Our students get involved and have a voice!

Workload (1) Year 1: 4 modules. A typical module may involve:

• 6 x 750 word portfolio assignments (e.g. critical review, quantitative exercise, annotated

bibliography, primary source analysis)• 2 x 2,000 word essays• 1 x 30 minute group presentation• 1 x 2 hour exam• Lecture/seminar preparation

Year 2: Independent Project (c.10,000 words); 3 Option modules. A typical

option may involve:• 1 x 3,000 word portfolio (e.g. critical review, source analysis)

• 1 x 3,000 word research essay• 1 x assessed group presentation• 1 x 2 hour exam• Lecture/seminar preparation, unassessed work.

Year 3: Dissertation (c. 10,000 words + unassessed drafts);

3 Research-based modules.

A typical research-based module may involve:• 1 x 3,000 word research essay• 1 x assessed presentation and portfolio• 1 x 2 hour exam• Two un-assessed presentations• Extensive seminar preparation and

student-leadership of sessions.

Workload (2)

Public History – a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience

• Available at Level 1 and 2• Practical application of academic ideas, debates and theories• Work placements as part of the assessment• Links with US MA programme including field visits• Industry relevant skills

Past placements include:

• Royal Air Force• The National Trust• Imperial War Museums• The National Archives• Royal Cornwall Museum• V & A• Falmouth Exeter Plus• The British Postal Museum

& Archive

• National Museum Wales• English Heritage• Cornwall Council• Helston Museum• Porthcurno Telegraph

Museum

Study Abroad

One semester abroad OR one year

Europe OR International options

• Number of International Partner Universities including - USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan

• Erasmus placements including - Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Malta, Turkey, Switzerland

A student shares a few reasons to go abroad...

• Experiencing a different learning environment

• Meeting many new people from all over the world

• Being able to choose completely different modules

• Travelling

• Working hard, but having lots of fun!

Student Perspectives - Studying

• Studying at the Penryn Campus is an academically stimulating

experience• Excellent academic support, with the benefit of one-to-one

supervision when needed• If you ever have a problem, someone will be there to help you

solve it!• Academics are experts in their field and make the modules

enjoyable and thought-provoking• New resources. • Employability and Career Zone talks.

Not that it is all work• University of Exeter has the highest level of student engagement in

the UK – through clubs and societies, volunteering, and our two students’ unions.

• At the Cornwall Campus students can join 86 sports clubs and societies. The more you put in, the more you get out: so we encourage students to get involved, whether in sport, society or the University

• Cornwall offers unparalleled opportunities for sport in the community, and especially beside and on the water.

• Students are involved in all key University decision-making. We see student opinions as a way of improving our performance – which perhaps explains our NSS scores

Student Life (when not studying...)

• Variety of activities available, including various societies, sports clubs and most importantly- History Society.

• Student friendly town – loads to do and a night out doesn’t break the bank!

• Nothing beats a relaxing day on the beach surfing, kayaking or paddle boarding, especially after exams (or a night out...)

Your Prospects as an Exeter History Graduate• Employability is embedded in every year of our degree programme• Careers in heritage, education, media, consultancy and research sector• Transferable skills for other career routes (business, charity, publishing, anything!)• Conversion courses esp. law• PhD and MA further study• 75% Cornwall History graduates in graduate destinations 12 months after graduation (DLHE, 2011)

What do our students do?

• Journalism, media studies, media research

• Recruiting, financial services, armed forces, tourism

• Further professional study - teaching, law conversion

• Further study – MA, PhDAccording to an employment insider, Law or History graduates are desirable recruits because “both disciplines taught the careful analysis of evidence and placed very high value on presentational skills.”

Thank You

We hope to have the opportunity to get to know you all

over the next three years

Please complete your feedback forms!

Questions?Got questions when you get home?

Email: historycornwalladmissions@exeter.ac.uk