The module aims to introduce students to a range of different research methods; develop their research skills to Master's level; and enhance their library skills. It also aims to introduce them to different ways of engaging in research cultures appropriate to the focus of their studies; enable them to develop a research profile; understand ethics approval; and gain skills in the presentation of their research. The module prepares students for the Dissertation module and aims to provide them with skills useful for disseminating the results of their dissertation after they graduate.

This module looks at diverse ways that the past is preserved in contemporary literature and culture and how it is written about. This might include historical novels, memoirs, non-fiction and public-facing information and reviews. We will consider what we can learn about contemporary society from the way these topics are being written about in contemporary (post 2000) texts.

Activities include two field trips to local heritage sites, to consider how their stories have been told, and how they remain relevant to a twenty-first century public. You will be challenged to use your skills as a writer to create contemporary work inspired by a heritage site.

The aim of this module is to introduce key contemporary theories and literature to explore phenomena that structure our present world, such as technology, time, consumption, work, identities, and globalisation. Attention will be given to case studies of diverse agenda and concerns in contemporary culture.