Book review Instruction
– a 1,500 word commentary on a book which could be connected to one block in the module and which has advanced the study of memory and history. The review should critically evaluate the methodology and theoretical framework of the book and assess what contribution it has made to its field of study, in enough depth to be able to situate it in the context of other relevant literature.
The book is: ((The Great War and modern memory)) by Pual Fussell.
The Module blocks are ((look which block is the book connected with and consider it when you write the book review)):
1- Memory, Forgetting and Memoria: the Invention of ‘Memory’
2- Memory and Identities, Early Modern and Modern
3- Memory, Media and Popular Culture.
4- Contentious Memories, the Public and the Media
5- Clashes and Silences: Contested Public Narratives of the Past in Media and Popular Culture.
6- Memory, Ghosts and Ruins: Remembering the Visible Past
7- Memory and Collecting: the Mortimer Collection
Assessment criteria for the book review
- Demonstrates comprehension of the book’s arguments (LO 2, 3)
- Expresses an argument about what contribution the book has made to the study of memory and history (LO 1, 2)
- Situates the book in the context of other relevant literature (LO 1, 2, 3)
- Constructs arguments clearly and coherently (LO 1, 2, 3)
- References and bibliography are complete and accurate (LO 2)
Module Aims
The aims of the module are to:
- introduce students to memory and commemoration as historical issues
- provide students with knowledge and interpretative approaches to the ‘mnemonic turn’ in history within a series of historical contexts
- cultivate students’ ability to work effectively with primary and secondary source materials
Learning Outcomes ( LO)
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- (LO1) Critically evaluate approaches to memory as an historical concept and tool
- (LO2) Synthesise evidence and interpretation from primary and secondary source material and relate it directly to the opportunities and limitations of the ‘mnemonic turn’
- (LO3) Synthesise knowledge and understanding from multiple topics within the module in order to situate memory as a subject of historical enquiry
- (LO4) Present well-supported arguments about memory and meaning in history in oral form, using appropriate visual aids
Information and introduction about the Course
Memory, Meaning and History is one of History Masters modules in which challenges you to explore how historians can understand the past by investigating cross-cutting themes. In the late 20th century, memory started to become a key concept for cultural historians, taking the study of History through what is often referred to as ‘the mnemonic turn’. Memory Studies is now a fully-fledged and interdisciplinary field with its own historiography and a wealth of insights and controversies for anyone who is interested in how humans remember and make sense of the past, taking in not only the memories of the living and the acts of commemoration (and forgetting) that mark the present, but also the question of what historians can know today about memory in the more distant past. Whatever your own specialism, this module will help you situate your interests in debates that range across periods, encouraging you to frame your research in more conceptually ambitious contexts and understand the strengths and limitations of the ‘mnemonic turn’.
Important Notes:
- Do not forget to write footnotes.
- Please connect the book with at least one of the module blocks.
- Please do contact me if you have any question.
Thank you very much.
