{"id":17829,"date":"2023-04-04T14:20:37","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T04:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/?p=17829"},"modified":"2023-04-04T14:20:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T04:20:37","slug":"taking-history-beyond-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/taking-history-beyond-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking History Beyond the Classroom: A Student and Unit Coordinator\u2019s Reflections on Work Integrated Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

I never thought I\u2019d find myself mediating a debate about where to put an early 20th century wine stomping vat, let alone as part of my undergraduate History degree.<\/strong> But there I was, at a historic vineyard on the Mid North Coast, listening to volunteers discuss the difficulties of fitting a stomping vat into their new function space. One camp believed the vat should take prime position to stay true to the site\u2019s history. Others argued the vat shouldn\u2019t be in the function space at all because they needed more room for tables and chairs to improve profitability. It was a stalemate, with both camps raising compelling needs.<\/p>\n

I had found myself stuck between this stomping vat and a hard place because I\u2019d enrolled in HSTY 3902<\/b>: History Beyond the Classroom<\/b>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"The<\/a>
The wine vat at the centre of the controversy (photo credit: Darcy Campbell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Is History Beyond the Classroom?<\/h2>\n

History Beyond the Classroom was designed in 2015 as one of three capstone units offered to History students. Recognising that only a minority of students continued their studies beyond their degree, the Department wanted to create a unit that would help students value what they had learned, introduce them to a range of history professionals and encourage them to think of history as a lived and lifelong practice that had a wider meaning than the essays they were used to writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to guest lectures from industry professionals, the unit asks students to approach a community group or non-profit organisation of their choosing and do some volunteer work.<\/strong> Then, students work with that community to create a public history project that benefits the organisation.\u00a0The results have been remarkable\u2014ranging from digital archives<\/a> and exhibitions<\/a>; to podcasts, documentaries<\/a>, oral histories<\/a> and social media campaigns<\/a>; to walking tours<\/a> and brochures and zines<\/a>; to grant applications and artefact inventories<\/a>; to timelines<\/a> and webpages<\/a>\u2014all showcasing the rich histories of the organisations and the people who run them.<\/p>\n

What Are the Benefits of Work-Integrated Learning?<\/h2>\n

Of course, we now recognise the unit was Work Integrated Learning before we knew the term<\/strong>. As the unit has evolved, the benefits of such learning have become clear:<\/p>\n

\"Hamish,<\/a>
Student Hamish Davidson at work at the Sydney Jewish Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n