Author: ees00017

Whilst putting my research project together I encountered various obstacles. Firstly, devising my initial question was quite difficult, I had a few ideas but turning them into a suitable project and a question that had good detail and was not too broad I found quite challenging initially. Also, making sure not to recycle ideas was something I was wary of. Secondly, and I’m sure most people have encountered similar issues, was the problem of services being unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Places where I may gather research, such as libraries and archives have been closed for a long period of time and restrictions will still be in place when they re-open.

To overcome these obstacles, in terms of my initial question; I emailed back and forth with my supervisor who was very helpful and helped to develop my ideas by suggesting different authors and places to look for further analysis. This allowed me to then decide on my final question which was suitable and accepted by my supervisor. In terms of searching for materials given the current situation, I researched online through various archives to see if there was enough digitised materials in the event that physical archives may remain closed for a further period of time.

This module has taught me various aspects of the dissertation and the research project I probably wasn’t aware really existed. Learning how to look for materials and the different methods used to approach these materials has been invaluable, as I am now able to confidently research and know exactly what I am looking for, and how I will use this within my dissertation. The two assignments have also helped me approach my dissertation better as reviewing literature, deciding on a methodology etc has helped form the basis of my project and I feel I am in a good place to continue on myself once university is finished for the summer.

Finally, the most useful aspects of the module to me were the two assignments. They allowed my project to take shape initially with the methodology paper, laying out exactly how I would carry it out and some of the issues previous authors have discussed allowed me to also from the basis of an argument which was really helpful when it came to writing my dissertation proposal which I have found challenging but also has aided in forming an argument by reviewing more sources and setting out my aims and objectives has made the project feel like it is eventually taking shape. The module overall has been very valuable as it has helped to understand more about what the dissertation will consist of and with a year until it is due, having a good start on it in terms of research and reading will prove invaluable when it comes to working on it over the summer and into 4th year.

Conroy, James, A Very Scottish Affair: Catholic Education and the State’ Oxford Review of Education. Vol.27 no.4 The State Schools and Religion (Oxford: Taylor&Francis, 2001)

An interesting piece of secondary literature which focuses on the separation of catholic and non-denominational education, exploring the elements of both the 1872 Education Act and the 1918 Education Act while providing a narrative of how sectarian attitudes have been at the forefront of the argument on separate education in Scotland.

‘Sectarianism in Schools’ The Scotsman, October 1934. 

Newspaper article demonstrating the rise of interest in the unjust provisions of section 18 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1918. The article is an pivotal piece of primary evidence as it captures the mood of the situation and is one of a few articles that highlight the growing feeling of sectarianism based on education in Scotland.

Gallagher, Tom, ‘Divided Scotland: Ethnic Friction and Christian Crisis’ (Glendareul: Argyll, 2013)

A contemporary history of sectarianism in Scotland over a broad period of time ranging from pre 1985 up until the 2014 independence referendum. Gallagher’s account covers a broad range of issues that stem from sectarian attitudes and how Scotland has moved through the decades with this still very much a pressing issue.

‘Roman Catholics Interests: Archbishop of Glasgow on Sectarianism: THE EDUCATION ACT’ The Scotsman. November 1934

A crucial piece of primary evidence which demonstrates a feeling between both Catholics and Protestants as to who was to blame for the idea of separate education. Demonstrates that both sides were accusing one another of prolonging the issue and is a good indicator of capturing the mood and feelings of the Catholic community in response to an attack on them through section 18 of the Education Act (Scotland) 1918.

The readings I haven undertaken this week I gathered through using both JSTOR and the universities Scotsman newspaper archives. These sources are useful for using in my dissertation for several reasons. First of all, the body of secondary literature I have read so far are useful for setting my dissertation in the wider context. Gallagher’s account covers a broad range of issues which make it easy to capture the situation as a whole, given that sectarianism is a huge issue which has many contributing factors such as football, education and of course religion. Gallagher’s work takes into account all of these which makes setting in wider context easier to do. On the other hand, Conroy’s article focuses more on my specific issue which is the separate education of catholic and non-denominational Scottish children. Conroy covers a wide era which also attributes to what I am researching in terms of how separate education has prolonged the sectarian issue that has plagued Glasgow and of course Scotland as a whole, for centuries. In addition to my secondary sources, allocating newspaper articles from the Scotsman archives have provided a real insight into capturing the mood of society at that time and first-hand accounts of how people felt about the impact and implications of the 1918 Education Act, particularly section 18. Moreover, using this weeks seminar readings helped to break down the kind of sources I will need to use in my dissertation,  Miriam Dobson’s section on newspapers allowed me to recognise exactly what I was looking for and not to get too bogged down with an overload of information as often newspapers offer a wealth of information and through this reading It allowed me to be more focused on getting the more specific pieces of evidence rather than a huge body of text that is not all relevant.