Module manager: Professor Stephen Alford
Email: s.alford@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
| HIST3075 | Public History Project |
| HIST3500 | History Dissertation |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
You will write a final-year project based on your own research, utilising primary and secondary sources according to a research method and programme designed in consultation with your supervisor. The project will be written on an international history topic of your own choice, provided it can be supervised by a member of staff from the School of History. Normally, supervision will be undertaken by your Special Subject tutor.
On completion of this module, you should be able to:
1. Address a historical problem in depth, involving the use of contemporary sources and secondary literature
2. Design and research a sustained and independently-conceived piece of historical writing, according to a research method defined by the student
3. Gather and select suitable evidence to develop and sustain a historical argument in an extended piece of coursework,
4. Present your argument with clarity, fluency and coherence.
Subject specific learning outcomes.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Interpret and analyse complex primary and secondary source material, including documentary-based material
2. Engage with the historiography of the topic and situate their research within relevant scholarship
3. Research a topic using methods appropriate to the historical discipline and subject matter and with intellectual integrity
Skills learning outcomes:
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate their competence in managing an independent and self-directed research project
2. Present their research findings in an extended written report conforming to the academic standards of the historical discipline.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 4 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Practicals | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Lecture | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Private study hours | 391 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 9 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
One-on-one discussions with supervisor; feedback on initial proposal, dissertation plan and writing sample.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay or Dissertation | Dissertation | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 20/04/2026
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