21H.991 | Fall 2014 | Graduate

Theories and Methods in the Study of History

Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session

Course Overview

This subject examines some of the many ways that contemporary historians interpret the past, as well as the multiple types of sources on which they rely for evidence. It is by no means an exhaustive survey, but the topics and readings have been chosen to give a sense of the diversity of work that is encompassed in the discipline of history.

Readings for this course include examples of agrarian history, historical demography, environmental history, microhistory, among other fields. Class discussions and topics are drawn from European, American, and Asian history.

Prerequisites

MIT students were required to obtain permission of the instructor.

Grading

This course requires:

  • Weekly reading responses
  • A journal assignment
  • A 20–25 pages research paper
  • Initiation of class discussion for sessions without a guest

Calendar

SES # TOPICS KEY DATES
1 Introduction  
2 History and Place  
3

18th c. Political Culture and 21st c. Digital Humanities

Guest: Prof. Jeff Ravel

 
4

History and Material Evidence

Guest: Prof. William Broadhead

 
5

Transnational History

Guest: Prof. Sana Aiyar

 
6 Academic Journals Journal Assignment due
7 Maps as History  
8

Public History

Guest: Prof. Chris Capozzola

Archive for Final Paper due
9 History of a People  
10

Environmental History

Guest: Prof. Anya Zilberstein

 
11

History of Technology and Business

Guest: Prof. JoAnne Yates

 
12 Memoir as History  
13 Big History / Beyond History  
14 Oral Presentations of Final Papers Final Paper due

Course Info

Instructor
Departments
As Taught In
Fall 2014
Level
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments
Instructor Insights