Department
of History
Spring Semester
HIST 508
Historical Methodology II
Introduction
The emphasis of this course will be the methodology
of historical research -- that is, how do you become an historian and what do
you do once you’ve become one? The focus will therefore be on research using
primary sources, and will entail three distinct elements:
1.
Approaches to research -- bibliography, chosing a topic, archive work, computer
applications; understanding secondary works; typing up and style sheets
(footnotes and all that!).
2. ‘Varieties of historical source’: a consideration
of the different categories of primary source used by historians (ranging from
standard types such as administratative documents, chronicles, newspapers,
letters or personal papers, to less familiar types of source such as oral
traditions, archaeology and onomastics). We will try to look at these types of
sources for different periods and for different parts of the world (ie., not
just medieval Europe, ... honest!).
3. Research project: each student will undertake a
small, source-based research project (relevant to their own area of interest)
which will hopefully entail putting some of the principles and methods of the
course into practise.
Course Syllabus
1. Getting Started
- choosing your subject -- planning your research
-- bibliography
for beginners!
2. Primary Sources: problems
and pitfalls
- typology of historical sources -- source criticism
-- reliability and bias
3. ‘History as Story’:
narrative sources
- chronicles and annals -- biography and
hagiography -- newspapers
4. ‘Speaking in Tongues’:
language and history
- historical linguistics – comparative approaches
to linguistics and to history
5. Administrative Documents
- political, financial, legal, diplomatic etc.
6. ‘Poetry is just for
Girls!!’: literature and history
- what can literary sources tell the historian? --
where do we draw the line?.
7. Personal Records
- letters, personal papers, diaries, memoirs and
autobiography, travelogues
8. ‘What’s in a Name?’:
onomastics and history
- anthroponymy and toponymy – names and history
9. Quantitative Methods:
data processing and analysis
- manual vs. automated methods: pro’s and con’s --
databases and spreadsheets
10. ‘It’s All in the Genes’: microbiology and
history
- DNA and aDNA, y-chromosomes, human
polyomavirius, and the human past
11. ‘Within Living Memory’:
oral history
- modern societies and oral history -- African
oral tradition
12. ‘Material Remains’:
archaeology and architecture
- archaeological sources and history – industrial
archaeology
13. Putting It All Together
- writing up -- footnotes and stylesheets --
bibliography for experts!
14. Final reports and thoughts
Course Assessment and Requirements
The assessment of
HIST508 will entail three parts:
1. Research Project: 60%
2. Presentations: 30%
3. Attendance/Participation: 10%
Research Project
Each student will undertake
a small, source-based research project which will hopefully entail putting some
of the principles and methods of the course into practice. In consultation with
me and/or another instructor, by the second week of the semester, you should
choose a source available in the library which relates to your own field of
interest (American, Byzantine, European or Ottoman) and perhaps directly
related to your intended research topic -- if you have one yet! You should work
on this project throughout the semester (I will expect periodic reports in
class) and you will write a 5000-word report for the end of the semester.
Presentations
Throughout the semester we
will be examining different research techniques and different types of
historical source -- you will be expected to two short presentations
which will describe a particular historical source (or group of sources). These
presentations should form the basis for class-based discussion and comparison.
Attendance/Participation
Most weeks, I hope to
supply copies of historical texts (in translation) which we can examine and
analyze from a critical, historical perspective. They can be compared with the
similar texts discussed in the individual presentations. Participation in the
discussion is therefore important -- I’m getting fed up with the sound of my voice
. . . ! (actually,
that’s not entirely true.)
