`Informed By, but Not Guided By, the Concerns of the Present': Contemporary History in UK Higher Education — Its Teaching and Assessment

Abstract

In September 2007, the Higher Education Academy's Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology commissioned a detailed survey of how and where contemporary history is taught in UK higher education institutions and further education institutions offering degree-level courses. The aim was to establish where contemporary history is taught in UK higher education departments and to understand chronologies used by departments; the resources used in its teaching; how learning is assessed; and the distinctiveness of contemporary history. The survey, based on analysis of university and further education college websites and answers to a questionnaire, resulted in a report which was presented at the Subject Centre's annual conference in 2008. The findings of the survey revealed some interesting comment from those involved in contemporary history teaching in higher education in the UK, feeding into wider issues and ongoing debates about the scope and meaning of contemporary history. The following article discusses the results of the survey in detail and outlines concerns raised. It is intended as a platform for further discussion and to aid fuller understanding of contemporary history teaching generally at higher education level in the UK. It is hoped that this initial investigation and discussion will spark ongoing interest in how the subject is taught in the future and will provide groundwork for enhancing the subject and its further development.