Life Writing and Life Histories (V1501)
Life Writing and Life Histories
Module V1501
Module details for 2026/27.
15 credits
FHEQ Level 6
Module Outline
Whose lives and whose histories do we write about and tell as historians? How do you turn a life story into a biography? What makes a biography interesting? How do you find out about somebody’s life in the past? Why is biography writing a useful skill?
The life experiences of individuals, be they politicians, revolutionaries, artists, enslaved people, thinkers, nurses, homemakers, soldiers or humanitarians can provide an accessible, personalised window into the past and enable the narrator to explain and exemplify complex historical dynamics by moving between close personal experiences and emotions and the larger political context.
In this module, you will be introduced to methods of historical biography writing, read and critique samples as well as carry out archival research at the Keep and other relevant archives. You will participate in writing and composition sessions to produce a historical biography in a written or multi-media output.
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