WI   HIS 5501-01    Seminar in Historical Methodology*         MW 12:30-1:45         Dr. .Johnson

 *Permission of Chairperson is required for this course.

 

    This seminar, which fulfills a requirement for history majors, engages students in researching and writing an in-depth, article-length research paper.  Through active participation in this seminar, students will sharpen their research and writing skills for future success in graduate school, law school, or careers in history-related organizations, business, or education.  The seminar will provide practice in the skills of locating sources, evaluating evidence, and constructing sound historical arguments.  To provide for a common ground for discussion, the seminar will be organized around the theme of “War and Revolution in the 20th Century.”  As a group, we will consider this topic from a global perspective, using a variety of approaches and methodologies (comparative, cultural, diplomatic, environmental, gender, psychohistorical, socioeconomic, oral interviews, etc.).  Our readings and course materials will include both classic works of history as well as a range of primary sources from official documents to the papers of organizations and movements, the products of popular culture, and the memories of ordinary people.  This framework will allow for a wide variety of individual research projects that will reflect the many ways in which recent historical change has shaped our lives in the contemporary world.  The professor’s primary area of research is modern Europe, but students interested in all areas are welcome.