HIST 490 Historian as Investigator: Historical Research
Taking the role of professional historians, students conduct research in archives and libraries, use local collections of historical documents, read and produce projects in oral history, research distant archives through the Internet, and help to inventory community-based records. Students investigate at length one topic of their own choosing, using two or more methods of historical research. They discover the excitement of using documents written "at the time," of finding "the truth" in history, and of researching and writing about a topic of personal interest. Traditionally, the class has involved both history students and students outside the discipline. History majors should take the capstone course at or near the end of their study in history. Discipline preparation has not determined performance.
Prerequisite: Declared History major or instructor's permission.
Prerequisites
Special information
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective January 25, 2000 to present
Learning outcomes
General
- To conduct library and archival research on an original and individually developed historical topic.
- To develop the ability to present research questions in the context of current historiography, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- To engage in independent thinking and independent historical inquiry, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- To practice critical and analytical skills on: historical theories, controversies, and debates; primary sources; historical events, phenomena, movements, or ideas, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
- To write a research paper that incorporates an array of secondary and primary sources, integrates analytical and historiographical skills, and presents a convincing and well-written historical argument supported by literature review and archival work, consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctively characteristic of upper-division courses completed at a comprehensive university.
Spring 2025
| Section | Title | Instructor | books | eservices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Historian as Investigator: Historical Research | Grant, Jeanne E | Books for HIST-490-50 Spring 2025 | Course details for HIST-490-50 Spring 2025 |