Editors Note: This is an archived blog post from 11/11/2013.
Undergraduate TV series workshops with Michael Wood
Four in late November – No need to book
Michael Wood, our Professor of Public History and the creator of numerous critically-acclaimed history documentaries, is running a series of exciting two-hour workshops, each based on one of his landmark TV series. They will be of interest to anyone interested in a career in heritage, the media or television production as well as students with a general interest in the topics they cover, ranging from the history of one village to entire continents. These sessions are open to ALL undergraduates and there is no need to book – just turn up!
Monday 25th November, 10-12, Simon Building G.31
The Story of England in One Village
Can you study the whole history of England in one place? In this ground-breaking series, Michael Wood helped the people of Kibworth in Leicestershire dig up and interpret over 2000 years of their fascinating history, from medieval peasants to suffragettes. This session will interest anyone thinking about careers in heritage or the media. Michael will talk about how the series captured the experience of a community discovering its own history while also creating a narrative to excite a wider audience.
Monday 25th November, 2-4pm, Simon Building 2.61
The Story of India
How do you represent the richness and diversity of the history of an entire sub-continent in a six-part documentary series? In The Story of India, Michael Wood travelled across India’s to trace history from the first migrations of people from Africa to the end of the British Raj. Michael will talk about the choices made and challenges he faced creating these programmes. This session will appeal both to students interested in the history of India and careers in media and television production.
Wednesday 27th November, 10-12, Coupland Building, Lecture Theatre A
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
In this innovative series, Michael Wood retraced the journey of Alexander the Great over 20,000 miles and over 16 modern-day countries including Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan and India. In this session, Michael will talk about the practical experience of making such an ambitious programme and how meeting modern-day storytellers in these countries helped him to vividly convey the profound impact of Alexander on the history of these countries.
Wednesday 27th November, 2-4pm, Simon Building G.31
Conquistadors: Spanish Explorers and the Discovery of the New World
In Conquistadors, Michael Wood explores the history of the Spanish conquests of the Americas, following the footsteps of the Spanish adventurers. On his journey, Wood encountered stories of both heroism and the complex moral legacy of colonisation. This session will interest anyone in the history of imperial conquest, Spain and South America, as well as students interested in the challenges of making a history documentary in extreme terrains ranging from rainforests to deserts.
History@Manchester 