Below, Prof. Tristan G. Brown describes the role that student research projects play in the course.
I do include one research-based (timeline or essay) project during the term, in which students investigate a historical question of their own choosing. There I am less interested in the final product and more interested in seeing their thinking: how they worked through a historical question, what evidence they weighed, where they got stuck, and why. There is a required office hour every term in which students come talk to me and the TAs about their projects so I’m able to gauge how they’re handling their question. I have found that meeting is essential to the semester.
The final timelines or papers are always a highlight. One of my favorites: the history of the duck in China, from domestication to dish. China’s two late imperial capitals, Beijing and Nanjing, are both celebrated for their duck dishes (Peking Duck and Nanjing Salted Duck, to name just a couple). Is there a historical link between these capitals and their duck dishes? That topic combines political history, environmental history, and the history of cuisine. It was not an easy timeline to make, and the student did a great job looking at original sources and came away with a wonderful story to bring to the dinner table for years to come.
