History

History Course Programme
 
The History course was run in parallel with courses for teachers of English and of Science with a view to presenting the conclusions of all the discussions to a panel of educationalists on the final morning, these were;
  • Every student has the right to be taught the kind of history that gives them a coherent view of the past.
  • Recent changes in History syllabuses rightly encourage teachers to think more about ‘the big picture’ – but it must not be to the exclusion of the human stories that lie at the heart of the subject.
  • Narrative is not a low level skill. This should be recognized in schemes of assessment.
  • History is not the same as Citizenship; it has a unique role in giving young people a sense of personal and national identity.
  • The importance of History as a subject is such that it merits a safeguarded place in the curriculum.
 
The History programme included sessions addressed by eminent speakers, group discussions on current issues in History teaching, and subject-specific seminars on a range of topics. There will also be a joint History of Science seminar on Isaac Newton.
 Martin Ruehl lecturing

Issues addressed in discussions included:

  • Coherence
  • Personalities
  • History and National Identity
  • Challenge
  • Narrative
                                                                                                                                                Dr Martin Ruehl
Lecture topics included:                                                                                                     
 
  • Churchill
  • Charles I                                                                                                                          
  • Biography and Invective in Rome and Byzantium
  • The Rise and Rise of the Modern Papacy
  • How Ancient History Shapes Modern History 
  • Germany and Japan since 1945
  • Migration, Immigration and Emigration in the Early Modern Period
  • English Identity Before and After the Norman Conquest
  • Englishness and White Mischief in Kenya's "Happy Valley"
  • History and English LIterature in the Later Middle Ages
  • The History of Science
  • History and Photography