Course Guide | About the Teachers and the Course

About theTeachers and the Course

Greetings

Hello, and thanks for your interest in this course. I am an Associate Professor in the Department of History in the Faculty of Arts and also the convenor of the Humanities Area of Inquiry in the Common Core Curriculum.

In semester 1 of 2013-14 I will be teaching this Common Core course along with the course tutor Dr. Carol Tsang. The course is still quite new but I am glad to share previous SETL scores and students comments with you, so that you can get some idea of what students think of the course, and my teaching.


SETL Scores
What do Students Say about 'Making History'?
What do Students say about my teaching?
How Do I Run Large Group Sessions (Lectures)?
How Do Small Group Sessions Run (Tutorials)?
Course Learning Outcomes

SETL Scores 2010-11

To give you an idea of what students think about my teaching methods, perhaps I could share with you the SETL scores for the course.

In 2011-12 CCHU9003 received SETL scores of:

89.5 for course effectiveness (with a return rate of 77% of all students enrolled)

In 2010-11 CCHU9003 received SETL scores of:

87.5 for course effectiveness (with a return rate of 78% of all students enrolled)

What do Students Say about 'Making History'?

CCHU9003 class of 2011-12

For those who "wish to learn to appreciate the art of history. This is definitely achieved through the exploration of the different ways in which history is viewed. The beauty of history is further highlighted through connections made to our personal past. The importance of this art, so to say, is demonstrated by letting us realize just how reliant we are on the past."

"The idea of history as a one-dimensional study is completely thrown out of the door with this course. Here, every perspective is critically analyzed and engaged with in a fun, interactive environment. Prepare to be galvanized!"

"A course on the meaning and value of history - rather than on the content of history itself. It is a very philosophical course, grounded in reality through connections to historical events - especially ones that relate directly to us. Even those who have absolutely no interest in history would feel this impulsive desire to further pursue the discipline after realizing just how dynamic and alive history is."

"CCHU9003 is an extremely interactive course and [students] will learn that history has a vital role to play in the present. Through engaging with different representations of the past, a student will expect to develop a sense of historical awareness. One will also expect to explore the linkage between the past and present and what role a person can play in the present. Most importantly, they can expect that making history is fun!"

"We learnt how history is present in many different "places" - in museums, in heritage, in our family, in commercials… 'Think about the contemporary world' - yes as well. Historical counterfactuals, futurism and history, and the power of history (often hidden) is all covered."

"I overloaded in semester one and I didn't regret a bit. You can expect to learn how history is present all around us, perhaps sometimes hidden out of sight, and how engaging critically with history-related materials can give you a whole new perspective on the world and the power of history. Have fun!"

"I think if the student applied what we learned in class into real life, he would understand a bit more when and where he actually is in this world. This course did a good job of challenging our superficial perspective of the world today."

"This is a course that makes you think beneath the superficial. Everything that you took for granted with respect to history (e.g. history textbooks, historical films, museums, history memorialized in objects, etc.) will be analyzed and you will see how these things shape the past, present and future."

"Please expect interesting lectures and videos. You will never get bored! The field trip is awesome, you can have a totally fresh experience in Hong Kong. As for the content, this course will lead you to notice many aspects that you may neglect before, like history in movies, counterfactual history, and commercial history."

"My classmate said he wanted to see history from a different perspective and regard history to be fun. I think he has achieved his intention because this course offered us different theories about what history is together with many innovative teaching methods."

"It is an insightful and inspiring course that will tell you what historians do and what history means to us. It may overturn your understanding about history. You may be annoyed because you will be dragged away from your comfort zone. But if you are prepared for the adventure, go for it."

"In this course, you will experience new perspective on viewing the relationship between you and history. You will develop the sense of dissecting the role of history. For doing so, you will also experience how to use interactive way such as playing games to view the characteristics of history."

"By taking this course, you could get an understanding of how history evolves and what makes history change the world. I'd suggest students taking this course have critical thinking over historical events and try to think history in a sociological way. Also, a nice atmosphere of learning, a very nice professor and a nice tutor could be expected including a lot of interesting activities like fieldtrip, scavenger hunt ..."

"You are going to be exposed to a new approach of learning history through criticizing and analyzing it. It is no longer a conventional high-school history class as you have to participate in the process of making history, including your own history. Be relaxed, you will enjoy the course throughout the semester and get insightful views after the course."

"You will have a fantastic experience in this class. You will be a movie director, a detective, even a game designer! Historians do not mean nerds. Taking this class, you will enjoy the experience of being a 'historical nerd'!"

[Expect to discuss] "the relation of the past to the present as well as future, e.g. in terms of spatial design of a city, the historical counterfactual (if a factor in the past changes), and most importantly how we can engage with past knowledge to construct a better living place."

"This course will stimulate your thinking about the value of the past, how it relates to our present lives and how historical awareness can help us face this changing world. You will have a new learning experience which is interactive and thought provoking with the use of videos, fun games and other activities."

"Don't expect to learn a lot of historical facts or listen to stories in the past. This course stimulates you to think, to reflect and might even change the attitudes you have towards the incidents happening around you."

"I do aware of history, like my family history and medical history more after attending this course. I also think in a more sophisticated and rational way towards history :)"

"Expect a course with diversity. The professor is great and the course content is interesting. And the best part is the learning activities."

"Making history is tailor made for students who are interested in something more than merely historical facts, but also something deep inside the origin of history."

CCHU9003 class of 2010-11

"Teaching content was extremely suitable for common core. It caters the need of students who have different capabilities. Weak students could get something and strong students can go very deep. Tutorials were awesome. Discussion really helps learning and facilitates communication among students."

"I can relate the present to the past more after going to the lectures and tutorials of this course. I can feel the powerful link between the past and the present."

"It inspires the students to relate history with many different aspects, so as to stimulate our interests and explore more sides of history."

"Very clear assessment standard and course instruction. Readings and material of the course are very easy to access. Clear and inspiring lecture instruction."

"Lectures were visually stimulating, also encouraged classmates to interact! Highly interactive tutorials allowing students to engage with one another. Through gaming, allowed students to 'relive' history/undergo certain processes of how history came about."

"It is a fantastic course and the most interesting course in my year 1. The assignments and instructions are very clear to me. The course is well-organized and is presented in a diversified way." (2010-2011)

"Thank you very much for your comments and I really did enjoy my time in this common core. Thank you for teaching us a lot and make it interesting for us to learn."

"I did not expect to know my grade so fast; thank you for your notification! This course was hard, but a really interesting exploration of history itself. It was the course I have enjoyed the most for this semester. Thank you so much for putting together such a fascinating course ! CCHU 9003 would definitely be one of the most popular CC onwards. Wish you best of luck !"

"thank you for making the course such a joy to complete. The experience and learning outcome has been vastly greater than I expected. Thank you!"

"I can relate the present to the past more after going to the lectures and tutorials of this course. I can feel the powerful link between the past and the present."

"the content has been very inspiring and enlightening and thought provoking. His explanations were good for my further understanding.

"Course content, lectures, tutorials paved [the] way for critical reading"

"It inspires the students to relate history with many different aspects, so as to stimulate our interests and explore more sides of history"

"The topics discussed ... were interesting and David does provide and lead us to learn and perceive things in a really different perspective."

What do Students say about my teaching?

"Interactive video presentation, games, field trips are very well organized and had made learning a lot easier. I have not liked history before this as I thought [it] was a boring thing to learn but he did a wonderful job in making it very interesting."

"Lectures were visually stimulating, also encouraged classmates to interact! Highly interactive tutorials allowed students to engage with one another. Through gaming, [the course] allowed students to 'relive' history and undergo certain processes of how history came about."

"Very interactive course with unexpected teaching aids, such as computer games and home made videos."

"Unconventional method of teaching is good to stimulate students into critical thinking."

"Multiple activities which greatly [enhanced] my interests and also [dug] out my potential abilities."

"The best thing is the videos that the professor has made for every lecture, in order to facilitate his teaching. The website is particularly helpful. Also, the content has been very inspiring and enlightening and thought-provoking. His explanations were very good for my further understanding."

"Stimulating, fun and flexible. It allows us to present our ideas in any way."

"Dr. David [Pomfret] is a very enthusiastic person. He prepared the course by heart and I can see his effort. He is [a] really funny and nice lecturer. He is a great tutor too."

"The course materials are well selected such that they are useful in tutorials"

"Very inspiring with interesting course materials"

"the interactions and in-class gaming were engaging & stimulating"

"the best thing is the videos that the professor has made for every lecture, in order to facilitate his teaching. The website is particularly helpful."

"both lectures and tutorial are really interactive and I appreciate this so much"

"quite comprehensive and interesting"

"Highly interactive. Unconventional method of teaching is good to stimulate students into critical thinking. Enhance learning process."

"Every little detail! It is the best experiment of learning! I have never imagined!"

"Interesting take on different perspectives. Engaged students in thinking. Interesting choice of topics."

"Multiple activities which greatly enhance my interests and also dig out my potential abilities"

"multimedia teaching medium and materials. Excellent preparation."

"Excellent time management. I'm fond of all the videos shown in class!"

"Fun and interesting. Lectures were very creative (i.e. the use of videos). Fieldtrips."

"Stimulating, fun and flexible. It allows us to present our ideas in any way."

"rich format and topic"

"critical thinking, think widely and differently"

"very interactive course with unexpected teaching aids, such as computer games and home made videos"

How Do I Run Large Group Sessions (Lectures)?

I try to provide a dynamic but supportive learning environment for the large group meetings. For each class I provide lecture plans (in the form of powerpoint shows, not notes), bibliographies, materials and Concept Charts explaining in more detail, and contextualising, theoretical approaches to a particular subject. For each course I design a bespoke website from which these class materials can be downloaded 24-hours a day.

Course Learning Outcomes

To find out more about the course learning outcomes and other information please click here.

To find out more about the other courses that I teach please click on the link.

To find out more about the Department of History please click on the link.

How Do Small Group Sessions run (Tutorials)?

Hello I am Dr. Carol Tsang and I am the tutor for the tutorial section of CCHU9003.

Students are sometimes rather reticent, especially when it comes to expressing the significance of their own lives in relation to wider historical developments. To encourage such bold intellectual leaps, a safe learning environment is essential. In Small Group Sessions (Tutorials) for CCHU9003 I aim to produce an atmosphere of mutual trust in order to allow students to feel comfortable enough to take risks and articulate their thoughts.

For each tutorial class materials, and other instructions for guidance are provided.

A little bit more about me: I'm a HKU graduate. I completed my doctorate in the Department of History in HKU in 2011 and my areas of research and teaching expertise are Hong Kong history, health and medicine, and women's and gender studies. I pride myself on being easily contacted by students and I am always ready and interested to hear your questions and comments about the course and about study and life in general at the University.