LSH Magazine Issue 4 (PDF) - University of Lincoln

BA (Hons)HistoryHistory jointdegreesHere at Lincoln we offer a History programme which is popularand wide-ranging. The degree covers subjects ranging from themedieval period to the contemporary and from the local to theUS and China, reflecting the broad research interests of staff.We think it is important that youdevelop your own interests and thatyou can choose options which exciteyou. After a shared first year, youcan partly build your own pathwaysthrough a range of option choicesand start to develop a specialismthrough the Independent Study inyour third year. We have built in theopportunity for you to experience avariety of approaches to History, usinga range of investigative techniques, forexample oral history and quantitativeand qualitative methods.Our aim is to produce graduateswho are skilled historians with acritical approach to their subject butalso highly employable individuals,with skills in independent thought,the ability to summarise andanalyse critically complex bodies ofinformation, to communicate clearlyand concisely in both written and oralformats, and to work under pressureto deadlines either on their own or ingroups. While we try and develop skillsthrough the subject content, we alsomake space for students to preparefor the world of work ahead; there is adedicated module for career planningin the second year and a workplacement option to be undertakenbetween the second and third years.Lincoln is an ideal location inwhich to study History, and in theprogramme we use its resources fully.Modules include visits to the castleand cathedral, and students areencouraged to use the documentsheld by Lincolnshire Archives andthe Cathedral Library.Staff profile:Dr Anna Marie RoosSenior Lecturer in HistoryIf you would prefer to study a morebroadly-based programme, one ofthe History joint honours degrees maybe for you. English and History is themost popular of these, with manystudents choosing to combine the twohumanities subjects; especially thoseconsidering teaching as a career. Youcan also study History with Politics.In each of these programmes youwill find that your two subjects helpBefore I came to Lincoln, I was theLister Research Fellow at the Universityof Oxford, and taught at the Universityof Minnesota. My husband Ian is a‘yellowbelly’, growing up in Bardney, sowe are coming home. Initially trainingas a biologist, I am a historian ofscience and medicine, specialising inthe early modern period, and teachingmodules about conceptions of body anddisease, visual culture, and Renaissancehistoriography. Early scientists wereinterested in everything to do withthe natural world, and so am I. I havewritten one book about how the sunand moon were perceived in earlymodern England, and another aboutearly modern scientific beliefs about salt,called appropriately enough: The Saltof the Earth. My most recent book is anintellectual biography about the virtuosicyou understand issues from a widerperspective, both historical andcontemporary. We have ensured thatyou will still get a chance to studyas broad a range of topics, periodsand places as the single honoursprogramme, and you will also developthe same skills. You can take yourdissertation in whichever of yoursubjects you prefer, so specialisationis equally possible.Dr Martin Lister (1639-1712). Lister wasa royal physician, vice-president of theRoyal Society, Lincolnshire man, andthe first ‘spider man’ or professionalarachnologist. He also wrote a bestselling travel guide to Paris, edited aRoman cookbook, and was a friendof Robert Hooke, John Flamsteed,and Samuel Pepys.I greatly enjoy making history accessibleand interesting not only for my students,but also for the general public. I havehad the privilege of hosting a televisionprogramme for National Geographicabout Newtonian alchemy, having mywork featured by the journal Nature,and being interviewed on radio andtelevision by the BBC. I am also a Fellowof the Linnean Society and the HonorarySecretary of the Society for the Historyof Alchemy and Chemistry.Student view:Harriet HornBA (Hons) HistorySince joining the University of Lincolnin September 2011, the History coursehas exceeded my expectations. Notonly is the degree fun and engaging,the lecturers are friendly, dedicatedand approachable making it a lovelyplace to study. The undergraduatecourse here at Lincoln gives you theoption of a wide range of modulesallowing you to advance your existingknowledge and experience somethingnew. I’ve been lucky enough to learnabout a range of areas from Americanto Medieval history, areas that I hadbeen oblivious to prior to highereducation. This course not onlyboosted my academic knowledge,it’s greatly improved my confidence,social life and general career outlookas I have been given great opportunitiesand made friendships that will last alifetime. All of these things combinedmeans studying History at Lincoln wasthe greatest decision I’ve ever madeand I’ve had the best experience ofmy life so far.Antonella completed her first degree inEuropean Languages and Cultures atthe University of Catania (Italy), beforeundertaking her doctoral researchon Medieval Iberian History, Law andCultural Studies at the University ofExeter. She worked at the Universityof Exeter and Queen Mary, Universityof London, before joining the Universityof Lincoln in 2013.She is interested in the cultural andpolitical history of the medieval WesternMediterranean, and in particular inthirteenth-century Iberia. Her mainareas of research include the history ofemotions, social and moral implicationsof interfaith collaborations and politicalagreements, as well as theconnections between friendship andgender relationships, among others.She also worked on the idea andrepresentation of power in MedievalCastile and Leon between the eleventhand the thirteenth centuries.She is actively involved in thedevelopment of e-learning projectsaimed at enhancing the students’learning experience in medieval studiesat both undergraduate and postgraduatelevels.Staff profile:Dr Antonella Liuzzo ScorpoLecturer in History8 9