HI-408 Writing History: Historiography, Fields of Research, Approaches (Autumn 2025)

After completion of the course, the student shall have:

Knowledge

• advanced knowledge of history as an academic discipline and of its historical development, including its historically variable topics, approaches, and concepts
• knowledge of historiographic text genres and the discipline’s most important dissemination forms and channels
• insight into a thematically delimited research field that can be pertinent to the participant’s master’s thesis, i.e., familiarity with the field’s development over time, its basic concepts, and the most relevant literature

Skills

• the ability to identify and contextualize historical works from various periods and research fields in light of overall historiographical developments
• the ability to reflect critically on central dimensions and problems of historical research
• the ability to analyse approaches, theories, methods, arguments, and supporting evidence in historical research literature
• the ability to formulate and discuss research questions and arguments in relation to the students’ MA theses based on relevant research literature

General Competency

• the ability to discuss historical texts, their approaches, their merits, and their limitations critically with faculty and fellow students
• the ability to understand the particularities of professional historiography in comparison to other forms of engagement with history in the public sphere

The course has three dimensions:

• Creating an advanced understanding of the discipline’s history (historiography)
• Fostering an informed and critical discussion of central topics and approaches in contemporary historical debate, including with a view to how they can benefit participants’ master theses
• Providing an opportunity for individual work with research literature in a field that may be relevant for the participant’s master's thesis

The class comprises both lectures and seminars. Students are required to participate regularly and actively in both. Learning methods: Active reading; writing assignment (“literature review”); different types of group work; peer feedback; active participation in discussions with faculty and fellow students.

During the semester, in the seminars, each student will
a) write one indivdual assignment (“literature review”; 2.200–2.700 words) and give their critical assessment of a selection of literature that can be relevant for the student’s master’s thesis. The readings chosen for the literature review correspond to about one third of the total amount of readings assigned for the class (“pensum”) and must be chosen in cooperation with the main course instructor.

b) actively read, and provide constructive comments on, the literature review by other students (“peer feedback”)

The workload is estimated to be 400 hours.

The following requirements for each student must be approved by the course instructor:

• one individual written assignment (“literature review”)
• one or two rounds of “peer feedback” (orally) on the “literature reviews” of one or two other students

Please refer to Canvas for more information.

The examination has two parts.

Two days individual take-home exam (Length: 1.000-1.200 words, bibliography and references do not count). Counts 50 %.

An individual oral examination. Counts 50 %.

Both parts must be passed. Graded assessment (A-F).

Please refer to Canvas for more information.