Sources and Approaches for Historical Research (P00506)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HCL-P-P00506

The main aim of this course is to provide new MSc and first-year PhD students from all four history disciplines within the School of History with an introduction to sources and approaches. Sessions will focus on particular types of sources or fields of questions that require certain types of sources. Emphasis will be placed on presenting variety rather than on teaching specific methodologies. When taking Sources and Approaches, students will be in their first semester of the study. It is hoped that an awareness of what is out there in terms of sources and methodologies will help them to find as broad a basis for their own specific research projects as possible. Students will also gain at least a brief introduction to the different historical approaches that some of these sources entail- which will be an important asset in their future development as reviewers, conference participants and teachers. Topics range from archival documents, pieces of art and architecture, to literature, oral history and quantitative material. Every effort is made to represent as many different time periods and geographical regions of interest as possible.

Another important consideration in introducing this course is to approach new post-graduate students as a School rather than as individual subject areas. Disciplinary differences notwithstanding, there is a considerate amount of overlap in research interest between students of the three areas. A joint introductory course will encourage cross-fertilisation and collegiality across the School.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate (School of History and Classics), (School of History and Classics, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 1 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The course seeks to develop:
- an awareness of historiographical issues and their importance for contextualizing research.
- the ability to identify and interpret historical archives and other published and unpublished documentary and material sources.
- an ability to write a historiographical overview and source critique, deploying appropriate literary and bibliographical skills.
- an awareness of the interaction between sources and historical
interpretation.
- the ability to differentiate valid from invalid inference in the use of particular sources.
- an awareness of how different types of sources can be combined to address specific historiographical problems.
- The ability to deal with some practical issues of historiography and historical research at a post-graduate level, including data protection and ethical issues, as well as problems of effective academic writing.