Admission requirements
This course is offered exclusively to research master students in History, others cannot attend this course.
Description
This course discusses major problems in Historical Theory or Philosophy of History through close readings of relevant texts.
The first half of the course will be devoted to ‘classic’ themes like explanation, narrative, representation, paradigms, and epistemic virtues; the second half will explore new developments at the intersections of history, literature, ethics, sociology, digital humanities, and environmental humanities.
Students write a 6,000 word paper in English or Dutch. Please note: this is an intensive research seminar, the success of which depends on the active participation of all students. Students are not only supposed to attend all classes and read all required materials, but also to contribute to discussions of the assigned materials, both online (on Blackboard, the electronic learning environment) and in class. At the end of the semester, students write a paper related to topics discussed in this course. Details will be discussed during the first class.
Course objectives
This course aims:
1) To provide knowledge of and insight in some of the most important theories of historical scholarship;
2) To enable students to analyze and evaluate such theories as developed in various disciplinary contexts;
3) To enable students to relate such theories to their own research and writing, so as to help them reflect on their own practices of research and writing;
4) To develop oral and written presentation skills (the ability to produce a paper conforming to scholarly standards).
Timetable
The timetable is available on the MA History
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
This means that students have to attend every session of the course. If a student is not able to attend, he is required to notify the teacher beforehand. The teacher will determine if and how the missed session can be compensated by an additional assignment. If specific restrictions apply to a particular course, the teacher will notify the students at the beginning of the semester. If a student does not comply with the aforementioned requirements, he will be excluded from the seminar.
Course Load
Total course load 10 EC x 28 hours= 280 hours
Attending seminars: 26 hours
Studying compulsory literature: 91 hours
Preparing Blackboard assignments: 13 hours
Research and writing a paper: 150 hours
Assessment method
Participation (25%)
Written paper (75%)
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average with the additional requirement that the written paper must always be sufficient.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
- To post questions and comments related to the weekly readings on Blackboard
Reading list
Students who have not followed an introductory course to Historical Theory or Philosophy of History in their bachelor programs are expected to prepare themselves by reading one of the following textbooks:
Mark Day, The Philosophy of Historiography: An Introduction (London; New York: Continuum, 2008), ISBN 978-0826488480 (paperback).
Herman Paul, Key Issues in Historical Theory (New York; London: Routledge, 2015), ISBN 978-1138802735 (paperback).
All other reading materials (journal articles, book chapters) will be made available online or in photocopy form.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
Remarks
None.