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Description
This is the first broadcast for the third level course 'Historical Data and the Social Sciences'. It deals with the relevance of historical data to the work of the social scientist. A group of peop...le interested in this topic were invited to a party at which they were shown a short film giving an impressionistic view of the types of data available and the sorts of use a social scientist could make of them. This film forms the first part of the programme. The remainder of the programme consists of the discussions which arose during the evening. Those taking part included course students and tutors, as well as many well known experts in the fields of historical sociology, historical demography, economic history and other relevant disciplines. Others present included people in charge of the sort of records which social scientists might consult and members of the course team.
Metadata describing this Open University video programme
Module code and title: D301, Historical sources and the social scientist
Item code: D301; 01
First transmission date: 06-02-1974
Published: 1974
Rights Statement:
Restrictions on use:
Duration: 00:24:11
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Producer: Colin: Falkner, Clare: Gosling, Nicholas Robinson
Contributors: Frank Dawes; Ruth: Pryce, Rees: Schofield, Roger: Floud, Roderick: Whiteside, Noelle: Laslett, Peter" O'Sullivan, Sally: Freeman, Mike: Tobias, J.J.: Barlow, Derek: Palmer, Sarah: Wrigley, Tony: Murray, Ann: Mayer, Anne: Albury, Simon: Drake, Michael Walter
Publisher: BBC Open University
Keyword(s): Historical sources; Social science
Footage description: Drake briefly introduces the programme and then shows a film montage of stills and short film clips which tries to reveal the abundance of historical data. Some sorts of sources include census, prison records, and parish council registries for births, marriages and deaths, electoral rolls etc. The film montage sequence continues. School reports, occupational lists, specific jobs etc. are used as data sources. Again, the montage consists of old stills plus short film clips, ending with Jeremy Thompson censuses. The rest of the programme consists of snippets of conversations filmed at a gathering of D301 course team members, course tutors and students. Drake briefly outlines the structure of the course and he also answers a question on the reliability of statistics. Another group of statements, comments from Pryce, Schofield etc. They also discuss the problems of collecting and analysing data. Drake makes some points on employment, including film of a butler. Other comments on the relevance between the film montage of sequence 1 and the course in general. Floud, Schofield and Pryce discuss possibilities for the students' projects. A brief sequence on the uses of data processing for analysis, including Drake and Wrigley. The problem of obtaining or having reasonable access to relevant material for the student projects is hinted at. Concluding remarks on the necessity for using historical data for properly understanding the present. More film clips as used in sequence 1. Credits.
Master spool number: 6HT/71252
Production number: 00525_2128
Videofinder number: 170
Available to public: no