Archives and Memory
Classes
Tuesday 14 January - Tuesday 25 March 2025, 6pm-9pm
10 sessions -
Check class timetable
Availability limited
Overview
What counts as an archive? How have scholars and theorists of history understood the material bases of historical sources? Have these concepts changed in tandem with political, social and environmental transformations? Can our everyday landscapes be read as historical archives? What are the archives of the future?
Our Archives and Memory short course explores these questions, and others, by interrogating the history of archives and by considering problematics raised in archivisation practices and theories. We will cover:
- repositories of historical knowledge
- disciplinary perspectives on what constitutes an archive
- broader historical processes: state formation, bureaucracy, empire, decolonisation, migration, displacement, environmental change
- the function of different sources of the past: intimate collections, photographs, artefacts, orality, landscapes
- the future of archives in light of changes in the world around us.
Archives and Memory is taught by Dr Joseph Viscomi, lecturer in European History, who has worked on a wide range of archives as well as on oral history in Italy, Egypt, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Dr Viscomi’s current research explores material landscapes as potential archives for the history of migrant departures and environmental change since the late eighteenth century.
This short course is ideal for amateur and institutional historians, genealogists, librarians, and professionals interested in creating or working with archives.
The course is assessed via a 5000-5500-word essay plus 60% attendance requirement.
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Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This course will be taught at postgraduate Master's level. In order to fully engage with the class, you should have previous knowledge of the subject, for example, by having successfully completed an intermediate class at Level 5/6 (such as an undergraduate degree) or by having significant professional experience with archives or historical research.
As part of the enrolment process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
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How to apply
How to apply
You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so apply early. If you wish to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.