Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2023 - HIST 400 D100

Methodology (4)

Class Number: 3478

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Fri, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Admission to the honours program in history.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An advanced seminar on historical methods. Focuses on the identification and analysis of sources in preparation for writing the honours essay.

COURSE DETAILS:

Sources nourish the historian and allow us to interpret the past and explain change over time.  This is a course about finding, reading, and writing about historical sources.  The class will help students prepare for the honours essay and for other essays, research papers, theses, projects, and grant applications in their future classes and careers.

            Throughout the term we will do hands-on work with a variety of sources, including archival documents, diaries, memoirs, newspapers, digital material, and secondary literature.  Most weeks the instructor will share translated sources related to his book project about the mysterious death of a city leader in 1966, while each student will find and share sources related to their own research interests. We will also learn about decolonizing and Indigenizing historical research methods.  Each week students will make progress in choosing and refining a topic, asking research questions, building a bibliography, taking notes on sources, and writing a proposal for a research project. 

            By the end of the term students will have worked together in a cohort to: (1) improve their writing through a series of peer-reviewed assignments; (2) gain skills in critically analyzing a variety of primary and secondary sources; and (3) complete a research proposal that can serve as the groundwork for a future project.

Grading

  • Three short essays, each approximately 800–1,000 words (each worth 15%) 45%
  • Peer review of your classmates’ work. Everyone will complete two peer reviews (each worth 7.5%) 15%
  • Abstract (300 words) and annotated bibliography (no word limit) 10%
  • Research proposal (one page, single-spaced, 12-point) (first draft 10%, final draft 20%) 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2010.

Mullaney, Thomas S., and Christopher Rea. Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022.

Other readings available online. 


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.