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HIS42690

Academic Year 2026/2027

Delving into the Archives (HIS42690)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Alice Mauger
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Why do we have National Archives? And why are certain archival collections prioritised for preservation in national archives? How does an archivist mediate the record to users through decisions around preservation, digitalisation, cataloguing and access? How does archival practice reflect broader power structures around gender, race, ethnicity, and class? how do these practices impact the type of histories we write and, whose history is told? If repositories prioritise textual sources, how can we access the histories of people with dominant oral traditions and cultures? And how can we access the voices and histories of the marginalised, peoples whose voices are mediated in official/state sources? In exploring these questions, students will examine the critical theories and ideas around archival construction and the materials that we use for historical research. They will work with specific collections in UCD Archives and RCPI. This module will be of particular relevance to students taking the MA in Irish History and the MA in History of Welfare and Medicine in Society.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module students should:
a) have developed study, writing and communication skills appropriate to level 4.
b) have developed a critical understanding of the topic as part of broader changes in society through writing essays and participation in seminars.
c) be able to assess a range of historical and inter-disciplinary approaches within the discipline.
d) be able to handle historical sources, and to evaluate a range of primary sources and their potential use to historians appropriate to level 4.

Indicative Module Content:


Seminar topics may include:
Welcome and Introduction
Archives, Nationhood and Sovereignty
Medical History and Archival Collections
Religious and Care Institutions
Archives and Censorship
Oral History and ‘Witnessing’: Theory and Practice
Traveller Community: Inclusions and Exclusions
Race and the Archival Curation
Invisible Histories: Gender Perspectives
Radical Empathy? Archives and Activism
Historians and Archival Tools

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Proficient

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Proficient

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Competent

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Competent

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Proficient

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Competent

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Proficient

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Proficient

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 2

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 2

Reduce inequality within and among countries 2

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 2
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

90
Autonomous Student Learning

104
Seminar (or Webinar)

20
Project Supervision

6
Total

220

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a small-group, seminar-based module. It is taught through a two-hour weekly lecture seminar. The weekly seminar is focused upon individual active / task-based learning by means of class debates, discussion and student participation and presentations. Advanced research, writing and citation skills are developed through a combined individual student presentation on primary sources and essay writing. Autonomous learning is advanced through student-led debate and discussion of set primary sources and / or student presentations each week

Generative AI may not be used for assessments in this module. If you have any concerns about what is included in the remit of generative AI, please consult with your Module Coordinator.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Participation in Learning Activities: Weekly learning journals.
Learning journals should NOT be more than 600 words. Your 4 ‘best’ journals will be assessed.		 Week 11 Graded No
30
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): 4,000-word end of semester research essay Week 14 Graded No
40
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Presentation:
In seminar 7 students will present on their thesis proposal or another topic. The presentation can a short slide deck or text (max 1,000-words)		 Week 7 Graded No
30
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Participation: Group/class feedback in week 2 and written feedback individually to students in week 5 and 8/ Presentation related to final essay : Feedback individually to students, post-assessment on a plan prior to summative assessment Peer review activities: peer reviewing other students work against descriptive criteria on a rubric Final Essay:Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

Name Role
Dr Jeremiah Garsha Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Elizabeth Mullins Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Tues 12:00 - 13:50
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