HIST7006 Making History: Current Directions in Historiography

2012

9

2 x 2-hour seminars weekly

HIST7049 has been successfully completed

Completion of a History major with a GPA of 4.25 or more and a credit or better in any 2 upper level history topics

History (Honours); Graduate Certificate in Applied History and Heritage Studies

To become practitioners of history we need to know what is happening to our subject and why. What are the influences which affect its evolution as a scholarly activity and as a social and political phenomenon? In the recent past there have been some critical shifts in the way it is done. Some of these changes are fundamental to the way we see the past and the way we use it.

By looking at these changes, students will be talking about some of the latest work in 'the frontier' of historical writing - some of the most exciting and provocative types of historical work overseas and in Australia. Apart from examining the theory which underpins these recent trends, students will also become familiar with some of the practices of history, that is, the essential tasks of locating, accessing and analysing historical evidence in a variety of forms, as well as the best ways of writing and presenting their findings.

This topic offers:

• A strong knowledge of differing perspectives on historical events and agents and how these perspectives contribute to historical discourse within the profession and more broadly
• A strong knowledge of the disciplinary nature of history, its disciplinary history, its methodology, and its role in the community
• The ability to undertake historical research and reporting
• The ability to effectively communicate a nuanced knowledge and understanding of historical events and concepts in written and oral form
• The ability to work independently and collaboratively

Students successfully completing this topic should be able to:

• critically reflect upon the historiography and theoretical literature pertaining to the writing of history
• appreciate the complexities, characteristics and legacies of varying interpretative approaches
• consolidate their communication skills through discussion and reasoned argument
• locate, collect, interpret and synthesise a range of historical sources to develop a coherent argument
• plan, research and write an academic essay