Undergraduates use archive to succeed

We would like to celebrate the successes of two Leicester University History students who used the MACE archives extensively, receiving a first in their third year dissertations. Both dissertations explored issues of race, and using MACE archival material examined the importance of these issues in the West Midlands.

Adam Coughlin, BA History, focused on the 'silenced and overlooked' Dudley race riots (1962) drawing on vox poxs and other news items on the riots from reports held in the Midlands News collection. Darren Campbell, BA Contemporary History, focused on the issue of immigration in Smethwick and in the 1964 General Election as a whole, also relying heavily on ITV and ATV news sources.

We believe the successes of these two students highlight how film is just as valuable an historical source as other forms of media, and we hope to continue aiding undergraduates in their research.