HIST 400: Historical Methodologies
Fall 2022: We are a story-telling species, have been for at least one hundred millennia, and we we have mastered narrative strategies ranging from oral traditions and cave paintings to books, films, and TikTok. The discipline of history is among the most peculiar of these narrative forms, yet also one of its most important. Its combination of literary presentation with rigorous fealty to empirical evidence has made history peculiarly influential and resilient, especially in an era when the term 'alternative facts' guides so much public discourse. This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of the historical discipline via a term-long research project that builds out from autobiography to family to national history. Students will think and talk about evidence, author, audience, voice, and narrative through an exercise that melds family stories to Canadian history.
Topics:
Autobiography, biography, national history, transnational history
Course Prerequisites:
Admission to the Honors Program
Required Text:
Strunk, William Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style. New York. Pearson Longman, 2009.
Course Evaluation:
1st Generation: 5%
2nd Generation: 5%
3rd Generation: 5%
Context: 15%
Peer Review: 15%
First Draft: 25%
Final Draft: 30%
Topics:
Autobiography, biography, national history, transnational history
Course Prerequisites:
Admission to the Honors Program
Required Text:
Strunk, William Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style. New York. Pearson Longman, 2009.
Course Evaluation:
1st Generation: 5%
2nd Generation: 5%
3rd Generation: 5%
Context: 15%
Peer Review: 15%
First Draft: 25%
Final Draft: 30%