Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

The field trip is designed to introduce students to the study of memory regimes through a field trip to the region of the Central and Eastern Europe or Eurasia. The students will visits memory sites, attend university lectures and meet memory institution professionals with a view of gaining an insight into the process of memorialisation and in the understanding of such processes by local museum professionals. The experiential learning focus constitutes an innovative form of teaching practice in memory studies.

For further information please check the CEES Moodle page or contact the subject directly.

Entry to CEES Honours requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over CEES 2A and CEES 2B as a first attempt

Students participating in the Monuments and memories: the legacies of communism field trip course are required to be studying for a single or joint honours degree in Central and East European studies

None

None

1 x 1500-word reflective field diary based on field trip 35%.

1 x 2500-word research proposal based on the country where the trip took place 50%.

Group presentation on the observations of historical memory 15%.

Should alternatives be required for students with disabilities, this will be provided.

Should a student be unable to travel because of unforeseen circumstances, they will be set a desk-based alternative to replace the reflective field diary (a 4,000-word essay, worth 35% of their grade) and they will make an individual instead of group presentation based on the topic of their essay (worth 15% of their grade). They will nevertheless still be expected to devise a 2,500-word research proposal based on the country of the field trip.

All students will fully informed of the pedagogical purpose of the exercise.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The study trip offers a focus on experiential learning on the construction of public and historical memory in the post-communist space in Central and Eastern Europe or Eurasia. It aims to introduce students to a range of perspectives on the operation of memory regimes through a visit to locations where 19th, 20th and 21st century memorials are erected. Students are expected to develop a nuanced sense of historical change in the region as reflected in the construction and reconstruction of lieux de memoire. The trip comprises a one-week visit to the region (Central and Eastern Europe or Eurasia) chaperoned by CEES staff members. Should unforeseen and exceptional circumstances prevent a trip abroad for the whole cohort, an alternative location in Glasgow, linked to the operation of memory regimes and related to Central and Eastern Europe or Eurasia, will be chosen as an alternative.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

- Demonstrate a conceptual and empirical understanding of the role of collective memory construction in the formation of collective identity and its relation to political thinking,

- Critically evaluate the role of historical memory  in the shaping of political and social processes,

- Develop a capacity to engage with and challenge their preconceptions in order to expand their point of view by gaining meaningful knowledge through experiential education,.

- Contribute to their future employability and personal development through student leadership and reflective practice.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.