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Hands on History at USC
Conference presentation

Hands on History at USC

Marcus P Bussey
2015 Learning & Teaching Week Program Book, p.20
Learning & Teaching Week, 2015 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 14-Sep-2015–18-Sep-2015)
University of the Sunshine Coast
2015
url
https://www.usc.edu.au/View
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Abstract

Curriculum and Pedagogy historical education
This work grows out of the world history course HIS140: Global Citizens and is a response to the sense students have that history is all about books. It challenges this assumption by approaching material culture historically and engaging students in the exploration of a historical cultural tradition such as weaving, shield making or stone napping. This talk draws on work done in both HIS140 where cultures of food were explored via recipes and reflections on cuisine and in HIS320 where students were given the opportunity to explore a material cultural practice in depth. Rationale Material culture is often absent from historical education yet it underpins everything that people in any time or culture experience (Grassby, 2005). Material culture offers us the opportunity to stretch the boundaries of history and bring in sensory and embodied experiences (Monaghan, 2012; Scheer, 2012). It also offers us the opportunity to shift the focus of the provision of history education from intellectual (scholarly) activity to holistic learning that captures the 'experiences' of people in the past in imaginative and creative ways (Agnew, 2012). This not only stretches the way history is delivered at universities but also how it is assessed. Focus Ultimately I am developing the Hands on History approach in order to create a new course in applied or experimental history. My teaching to date has been a kind of action research project in which 1. I expose students to varieties of stimulus to extend their learning (recipes and music from the past, DNA tests); 2. I invite students to go deeper in their historical research in an area of history that they are passionate about (HIS320). Talk Format This presentation will: 1. Outline the theoretical, practical and pedagogical issues involved 2. Point to a range of new developments in the History discipline that support a 'Hands on' approach 3. Document the student experience in both the first and third year courses 4. Engage in some 'Blue Sky' thinking in which USC develops a reputation as a leader in the field of Experiential History

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