HIST7055 Historical Practice

2019

4.5

1 x 90-minute seminar weekly

1 HIST7006 - Making History: Current Directions in Historiography
2 HIST7054 - Advanced Historical Research
Must Satisfy: (1 and 2)

Students are expected to have completed all other coursework Honours topics before enrolling in this topic.

Core Honours Topic

Assignment/s, Seminar participation, Seminar presentation

Historical Practice is designed to enable History Honours students to reflect critically upon the practice of History. Students will be expected to learn 1) how historians have used theories (learned in HIST7006) to produce historical works of all kinds; 2) how and why historians use different methodologies; and 3) how they can apply these understandings to their own research, writing and oral communication of history. This topic is designed to bring together what has been learned in the previous two coursework topics, providing a holistic understanding of the various mechanics of producing and practicing History.

This topic would;

• Povide students with a solid foundation in higher academic research and communication (both orally and in written form)
• Show students how historians employ theories and concepts in their work through different methodologies
• Integrate the Research Seminars in to the assessment program to demonstrate ‘History in Practice’, and enable deeper engagement with practicing historians
• Reduce the workload of students, allowing them to focus on their thesis in second semester while still providing them with an awareness of, and engagement with, current historical topics and practices through the discussions in this topic and those in the weekly research seminars.

On successful completion of this topic students should be able to:

• Assess the various methods and models of interpretation employed when pursuing particular lines of inquiry regarding the past
• Relate changing methodologies and models of interpretation to their historical context
• Communicate research findings and a nuanced historical argument in a range of written and oral forms
• Apply methodologies and models for research and reporting to new and unfamiliar fields